Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Some Companies do require you take diving special insurance while with others it is not compulsory. We strongly recommend you have travel insurance which covers you for cancellation of trip due to illness, poor weather, travel delays, lost luggage and legal costs. Travel insurance may not cover diving accidents and treatment/evacuation. We recommend getting separate insurance like that offered by DAN. (Divers Alert Network):

DAN America-Mexico
DAN Europe
DAN Japan
DAN Southern Africa To offer maximum flexibility, we aren't currently offering packages but will be glad to book both your dive trip and local accommodation. Generally we would recommend trips on 'Cats' (twin hulls) as these tend to be a little more stable. See ReefQuest or OceanQuest.
Yes, on all trips we can offer a discounted rate for those not diving and usually offer unlimited snorkelling.
Box Jellyfish are pale blue and transparent and bell or cubed shaped with four distinct sides, hence box jellyfish.
Measuring up to 20 cm along each side of the cube or bell, the Box Jellyfish has up to as many as 15 tentacles on each corner which can be 3 metres in length with up to 5,000 nematocysts (stinging cells).

The season for the Box Jellyfish starts with the onset of the wet across the top of northern Australia, usually around October and lasts until April. Further south along the northern Queensland or northern Western Australia coast the season is usually from November to March. They sometimes appear further south a few weeks beyond the close of the season.

The arrival of the Box Jellyfish close to the beach prevents swimming in the Surf unless the beaches have the protective stinger nets installed or you wear a purpose designed swim costume.

Information provided by:
http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com
http://www.jcu.edu.au/interest/stingers
All similar yet all very different, most reefs fall into three categories:

1. fringing reefs, which occur around the edges of the continental islands that were once a part of the mainland.
2. ribbon or outer, barrier reefs which grow on the edge of the continental shelf.
3. platform or patch reefs, which support a cay, or island formed by sedimentary debris swept onto the reef.

One of the major reasons the reef holds such a fascination for scientists and tourist alike is its infinite variety. Some reefs are a little more than a few thousand metres in area while others could be spread over 120 square kilometres. Shapes vary from round, oblong, crescent and indescribable. Some of the very outer reefs are up to 25 kilometres long. At low tide some of the reefs expose themselves while others remain fully submerged. An aerial fly over is a must to appreciate the full extent of the reef.

About 2800 species of fish are known to live in the reef region. Of the 500 or so species of reef building corals found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, about 350 are known to be on the Barrier Reef. It could be decades before scientists have a complete list of all the plants and animals found on any one reef. Many species are still to be identified and named. This clearly shows a staggering diversity of life.
This is probably the question we are asked most!!

As you can appreciate we will not try and predict the weather any more then a couple of days away.
We have a weather page; Here you will find the general weather conditions for the year, including temperature and rainfall. You can make your decision based on the same information we have.

Please bear in mind if the airfares are on 'special' and it seems like a good deal - there is usually a reason. (Maybe the Wet Season!!)
It depends which part of Australia you are visiting and what kind of weather you are after. In the Tropical North, summer is extremely hot and humid and can be very wet. Please look at the weather page to be better informed.

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Certified Divers

No, dives are NOT GUIDED by a Divemaster. You may have the option to pay for a Guided Dive or in some cases will be required to pay for a guide if your certification prevents you from diving unsupervised, for example: PADI Scuba Diver, CMAS one star (depending on number of dives).
On nearly all vessels, cameras are for hire and require only very basic knowledge. Video hire is not available due to the expensive hardware. However a photographer will be glad to capture your day underwater and sell you photographs/cd's (Day Trips only, not liveaboard).
All divers are asked to complete a medical questionnaire (click here) on board. As long as the answers to all questions are NO then a medical is not required. If they answer YES to any question, a further medical may be required. You will also be asked to fill out a general disclaimer - differs from company to company.
At a minimum you will need your C-Card. Dive Supervisors do like to see log books so then can more efficiently assess your experience. If you have lost your card please contact the issuing agency.
The maximum depth for recreational diving is 40m. Some of the best dives on the Great Barrier Reef are in less then 20 metres of water.
This tends to be where the reef is at its most colourful and full of life. It depends which part of Australia you are visiting and what kind of weather you are after. In the Tropical North, summer is extremely hot and humid and can be very wet. Please look at the weather page to be better informed.
This will happen on board the dive vessel.
Whenever possible the Dive Supervisor will buddy you with someone of equal experience. In most cases YES, but please contact us to ensure you won't be disappointed on arrival if you are not sure. Let us know your certifying agency, certification level and approximate number of dives. No. Please note there are regulations about flying or going to altitude after diving.

- Currently the rules state that for a single no decompression dive, you should not fly/go to altitude for at least 12 hours.
- For multiple dives you should not fly/go to altitude for at least 18 hours.

Deep Sea Divers Den recommends waiting a minimum 24 hours whenever possible. These are guidelines only, there is no guarantee that these recommendations will prevent decompression sickness.

Currently there are no guidelines regarding diving after flying.Altitude is 300m/1000ft above sea level. This includes going to the Atherton Tablelands, so be careful when you are booking tours to follow your dive course/trip.

Under normal circumstances, you should be out of the water on your last dive at 12pm (midday), this should help with organising any travel plans you have after your dive trip with us. After your Open Water course (or equivalent) there are a number of continuing education courses that have to be followed in a certain order.

* PADI Adventure Diver
* PADI Specialty diver (several to choose from)
* PADI Advanced
* PADI Master Scuba Diver
* PADI Rescue Course
* PADI Divemaster (first professional course)
* PADI Assistant Instructor
* PADI Instructor This varies from company to company. All companies provide tanks and weights for divers in the price. Some companies include all dive gear, others will charge per item.

Please ask at the time of booking what is included. Even if the dive gear is included in the price, many divers will still bring their own equipment. If you usually have trouble getting equipment to fit, please let us know at the time of booking. In Australia the standard fitting is the INT fitting - the same used in the USA.

A DIN fitting is generally used in Europe, in particular Germany and would require an adapter to be able to use here in Australia. Only certain companies have adapters available for hire/sale as DIN fittings are not regularly seen here in Australia. We supply three sizes of tank, in cubic feet we have: 62, 75 and 88.
In litres we have: 7.9, 9.2 and 11.2.

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Dive Courses

Yes, you will be required to do a swim test - 200m without stopping. There is no time limit and you may swim in any style. You will also be required to tread water for 10 minutes without touching the side or bottom. These skills are usually done in the swimming pool on the second day of your course. As Open Water Divers you will be allowed to dive to 18 metres (60ft). Whenever possible the dive operators will try to take you to 18m during the course. The majority of you training will be in 10m (33ft) or less. Most operators offer a minimum 4 day course. There are 5 pool sessions, 5 theory sessions and 4 training dives. The training dives must be over a minimum 2 days. PADI sets maximum numbers for courses, however courses do not necessarily run at full capacity all year round. The maximum numbers are:
During pool sessions, 10 students:1 Instructor
During Open Water Training, 8 students:1 Instructor If you want to learn to scuba dive, the first step is to take a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water Diver course, the most widely recognised and respected diving certification in the world. Within a few days, you can be enjoying the underwater world.

Not sure if a full-blown course is for you? Why not try an Introductory Dive and experience what you're missing. You may wear gas permeable contact lenses or buy/hire a prescription mask. Lenses are available in strengths -1.5 to -8 in 0.5 steps. It is not possible to wear your own glasses and a mask. The minimum age in Queensland is 12 years old. However many doctors will not pass children under the age of 14. Please contact us if you have children under 14 wishing to participate in learn to dive courses. Believe it or not, pain in your ears when you dive to the bottom of a swimming pool is quite normal. However it is due to the fact that you have not been trained how to avoid this problem. During your dive course you will learn simple techniques of how to equalise the pressure in your ears. This will prevent any pain! (The same applies if you suffer discomfort in airplanes.) It depends on the reason, but you may be able to finish your course at a later date - (if you got sick for example) - this is known as a referral. We will get you into the pool/confined water on day one. You will know on the first day as to whether you will like scuba diving. If you decide not to continue you will normally have to pay for that first day and may be entitled to a refund for the rest of the course.

Cancellation policies vary between booking agents, please ask when booking about individual operators cancellation policies. Most companies offer a full refund for failed medicals, please check at the time of booking. If you are unlucky enough to fail your medical you may still be able to go snorkelling instead!! Referral Courses can be done if you have completed your pool and theory dive training at home at your local dive shop. Once you come to Australia you can then finish your training dives aboard Liveaboard dive vessels or day dive vessels. This is a great option if you don't want to spend two days of your holiday with pool and classroom training.

Click here for more information on referrals.

Generally most students pass the Medical Examination without any difficulty.
There are however, some CONTRA -INDICATIONS for scuba diving. If you have ever suffered from any of the following conditions, you are unlikely to pass the medical examination here:

PNEUMOTHORAX
EPILEPSY
HEART SURGERY
DIABETES REQUIRING INSULIN
ASTHMA
Or if you are currently PREGNANT

This medical examination must be conducted along the guidelines of Australian Standard AS4005.1 If you or your doctor requires a copy of this standard, please click here. To read more about Dive Medicals, please click here.