In Reply to: Been to the Great Barrier Reef posted by McDiver Down on May 29, 2006 at 09:59:26:

Nearly six years ago I went out of Cairns on the Taka II for a week long trip. We went to the Coral Sea (Osprey Reef and North Horn). The reefs out there were not as spectacular as others in the GBR, but BIG fish! Saw terrific numbers and sizes of sharks on every single dive that week. I particularly enjoyed Steve's Bommie. Saw lionfish, a fire flame file shell (kinda like an electric scallop), Maori wrasse, huge schools of jacks. It was spectacular. Another neat spot was Ribbon Reef 3. There were giant Giant Clams in every color imaginable. Really amazing.

The Taka II is a very plain boat, definitely not fancy. However, the food was good, there were ample dry towels, and I had no complaints with the operation. Before every dive we were briefed on the layout of the reef, what to look for, and which way the currents ran. There were only a couple of hard and fast rules - no touching the corals, to return with a specified minimum amount of air, and to sign in within 10 minutes of the time the divemaster logs you back in again. (No more drifting Americans at Agincourt reef.) The Taka II was much less expensive than the other operations, not fancy, but I was pleased with the experience.

-Karen