Dive Review of Deep Sea Divers Den and Poseidon in
Australia/Great Barrier Reef

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Deep Sea Divers Den and Poseidon, Nov, 2005, by Mort Rolleston, DC, US . Report 2860.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	While in Australia, we did a couple of day trips out to the Great Barrier Reef with family who were a mix of divers and non-divers. We went with Deep Sea Diver’s Den out of Cairns and did three dives at Norman Reef. Another day, we did three dives at Agincourt Reef with Poseidon out of Port Douglas. As the nature of both experiences were very similar and the reefs close to each other, I combined my observations of both operations into one entry. In both cases, the dive boats were very comfortable and modern with fun, well organized crew that did well given the large numbers of people (about 50). The small army on each boat consisted mostly of snorkelers and beginner dive classes with less than a dozen certified divers. Poseidon's guides work hard as they also served as the drivers who picked up and dropped us off from our hotel a half hour away. Our driver and guide was very helpful in giving us good information about the area and what to do. Both boats were on tight schedules and thus had a time limit of 40 or 45 minutes per dive. Deep Sea Diver’s Den allowed us to dive on our own, but Poseidon instructed all the divers to stay together in one of two groups – each with a guide. As the groups were cruising too quickly to actually explore the reef and scaring all the fish away, we started lagging behind and often separated from the group. The guide was initially a little annoyed, but realized we were experienced divers and gave us some latitude. Poseidon also wasn’t flexible with buddy pairings for some reason. Making up for Poseidon’s tighter restrictions, however, the dives on Agincourt Reef (sites: Barracuda Bommie, Castle Rock, and Triggerfish City) were superior to those on Norman Reef (sites: Plate Top and Troppos) in all categories. Agincourt diving featured two bommies off the edge of the reef and a rapid drift dive that ended up at a cave swimthrough into a beautiful shallow coral reef. The dives offered lots of barracuda, a few whitetips, tons of medium size fish (snappers, parrotfish, groupers, etc.), nudibranchs, morays, giant clams, and numerous large triggerfish who were in their nesting season (we were warned to steer clear, with good reason as several divers who got too close discovered). By contrast, Norman Reef was very mediocre in both fish and coral (though we saw some turtles and barracuda) and the dive classes stirred up the bottom so visibility wasn’t great. Coral on both trips was noticeably damaged by the sheer numbers of beginner divers who carelessly bumped into it. Despite the crowds and the fact that the diving wasn’t as good as the liveaboard we were on the week before out of Townsville, these two day trips nicely served their purpose of allowing us divers to spend a day sharing the Great Barrier Reef with our non-diving friends on a fun comfortable boat (indeed we ran into our snorkeling friends twice towards the end of some dives – which was fun). If you are a more serious diver who wants the best possible diving situation, I’d recommend finding an operator with a small number of fellow divers who isn’t on a tight time schedule. My recommendation for where to stay on land depends on what you are looking for. If large, tacky beach party cities are your thing – stay in Cairns. If you prefer quieter, more green and pleasant surroundings, I highly recommend Palm Cove (where we stayed), which reminded me of the sea islands along coast of Georgia or South Carolina. If you are looking for something in between, the small town of Port Douglas is your best bet. If you plan to visit the nearby Daintree National Park, Port Douglas is about an hour closer than Cairns. Palm Cove is in between and is the one of the few places in the area to actually have a beach. I also recommend spending a day driving/hiking in the nearby Atherton Tablelands.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Ko Samui Thailand, Nassau, Bonaire, Key Largo FL, NC wrecks, Brockville Ontario wrecks, Santa Catalina Is. CA, Coral Sea/GBR Australia
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	78-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	40-45 minute time limits. Poseidon also required you to stay in a group and they oddly were not flexible regarding buddy pairings.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	separate water bucket for camera by request, but had to fend it off from people wanting to wash other things in it.

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Dive Review of Deep Sea Divers Den and Poseidon in Australia/Great Barrier Reef

Deep Sea Divers Den and Poseidon, Nov, 2005,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Deep Sea Divers Den and Poseidon in
Australia/Great Barrier Reef