Fly Dive Cod Hole - 3 Nights
2024 Departure dates: 16, 30 September | 7 October | 4 November |16 December
2025 Departure dates: 6, 13, 20, 27 January | 5 May | 8, 22 September | 6, 20 October | 3 November | 15 December
2026 Departure dates: 12, 19, 26 January
3 Nights / Up to 12 Dives. Our best selection of Ribbon Reef dive sites north of Cooktown. Suitable for all experience levels.
Expedition Highlights
3 Night Fly Dive Cod Hole featuring:
- Flying Start – Spectacular scenic flight over the reef from Cairns to Lizard Island. (Luggage)
- Continental Shelf – Dive 100 miles north of Cairns on the edge of the shelf where nutrient rich waters attract rich marine life.
- Lizard Island – Choose to dive, snorkel these fringing reefs offering a different diving experience to the ribbon reefs with fabulous biodiversity of soft and hard corals, critters and schooling fish. Step back in time at the ruins of Mrs Watsons Cottage; stroll along the Pandanis palms boardwalk up to Chinaman’s Ridge for magnificent views of Lizard Island and reefs below.
- Ribbon Reefs – a prized region of the Great Barrier Reef, with excellent fish & coral biodiversity. Ribbon Reef Dive Sites
- Cod Hole – Swim with diver size potato cod.
- Iconic Dive Sites – Lighthouse Bommie, Gotham City, Pixie Pinnacle,
Coral Kingdom, Cracker Jack, Flare Point, Summer Bay. - Steve’s Bommie – a highlight with incredible marine biodiversity, both large and small.
Dwarf minke whales cruise the Ribbon Reefs during June and July. Read more here about our special minke expeditions.
Get Spoilt
Spoilsport is Australia’s most awarded liveaboard.
Enjoy sumptuous cuisine and a superb combination of diver conveniences, space & stability.
Weather
Spoilsport’s favourite dive locations from the Fly Dive Cod Hole Itineraries will be selected should weather force an itinerary change.
What awaits you?
Take a scenic flight over the Reef to Lizard Island for a bird’s eye view of some of the reefs you’ll be diving. Captain Cook landed here in 1770, climbing to its peak to search for a way through the reefs and naming the island after the many monitor lizards that live here. Scenic flight map.
Lizard Island
Stunning vistas looking out from Chinaman’s Ridge on Lizard Island to Watsons bay below. Experience the solitude of visiting the beautiful beaches.
Ribbon Reefs
Between Lizard Island and Cooktown the reef sits right on the edge of the Continental Shelf, bringing in an upwelling of nutrient rich water attracting large fish populations and diverse corals. Around 1,500 fish and 400 coral species live here from small critters to large pelagics.
The Cod Hole
The Cod Hole is famous for its diver-sized potato cod. These fish are incredibly inquisitive and don’t mind getting very chummy with divers. A great opportunity to capture photographs of these magnificent characters or simply hang out and enjoy their company.
Lighthouse Bommie
An excellent site with one large pinnacle attracting tonnes of marine life including sharks, rays, turtles and reef fish, olive sea snakes, stonefish and other critters. A good place to spot minke whales in season (June to August)
Gotham City
Named after the batfish that live here, this site also attracts decent numbers of sharks and giant trevally. A particularly exciting night dive with congregations of hunting fish. This site also has one of the biggest beds of Pavona clavas coral stretching for approx thirty metres.
Pixie Pinnacle
An exciting pinnacle dive, draped in soft corals and absolutely heaving with fish life. Spiral your way up the pinnacle and search for interesting critters such as the flame file clam, or ‘disco clam’, named for the flashing light that appears to pulse along its mantle.
Coral Kingdom
A fantastic coral dive with vast beds of staghorn and other varieties, and dotted with colourful giant clams. Bump headed parrotfish and inquisitive barracuda cruise the site along with schools of other reef fish.
Steve’s Bommie
Steve’s Bommie is a photographers dream with an incredible quantity of diverse marine life. Hunt out such creatures as stonefish, scorpionfish, octopus, clown anemone fish and turtles, not to mention the many schools of fish that call this place home.
Dive Site Guarantee!
Spoilsport’s outstanding stability minimizes disruption to your itinerary and your scuba diving experience. If weather forces an itinerary change we divert to the best, ‘safe, accessible sites’ to ensure you get the best scuba diving available.
All itinerary details are subject to change, specific marine life cannot be guaranteed.
| April 2024 – March 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Price |
| Premium | $3211 |
| Standard | $2935 |
| Club | $2605 |
| Budget | $2250 |
Environmental Management Fee $8.00/day
| April 2025 – March 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Prices |
| Premium | $3404 |
| Standard | $3111 |
| Club | $2761 |
| Budget | $2385 |
Environmental Management Fee $8.00/day
Rates include:
- Accommodation in twin/double cabins
- Delicious meals & snacks, wine and soft drink are included with the evening meal
- Tanks, air fills and weight belt
- Daily cabin service
- Reef ecology programme
- Dive computer workshop
- Transfer to the airport or Cairns hotel after your expedition
- Scenic flight Cairns to Lizard Island
Please note that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority requires us to collect an Environmental Management Charge of $8 per day spent on the Great Barrier Reef. This amount will be added to your bar bill at the end of your expedition. Click on the links here for extras such as dive courses, photo services and gear hire, plus discounts available. Premium – queen or double bed, private bathroom, ocean views. Standard – twin beds, private bathroom, ocean views. Club – twin bunk beds, private bathroom, no ocean view. Budget – twin bunk beds, share bathroom, no ocean view. Click here to find out more about accommodation.
Itinerary
Sample itinerary, subject to change based on conditions.
Monday: (Up to 2 dives + night dive)
- Check in at our office (3 Abbott St, Cairns) between 6:30 and 7am.
- 7:15 am: Transfer to Cairns Airport.
- 8.00 am: Board a light aircraft for a low level flight over the reef to Lizard Island (flight time approx. 1 hour).
- Board Spoilsport mid-morning where you will be served drinks and snacks while our Trip Director gives you a welcome briefing.
- Time to organise any rental equipment and put your dive gear together on the dive deck.
- 12:45 pm: Dive brief and dive
- 2:00 pm: Lunch
- 3:45 pm: Dive brief and dive
- 4:45 pm: Afternoon tea
- 6:00 pm: Dive brief and night dive
- 8:00 pm: Dinner
Tuesday: (Up to 4 dives + night dive) This is a sample of a ‘typical day’, however exact times may vary to optimise the prevailing weather conditions on the day.
- 6:30 am: Wake up call, light breakfast available in dining room.
- 7:00 am: Dive brief & diving commences.
- 9:00 am: Full cooked breakfast.
- 10:30 am: Dive brief & diving. “Open decks” accommodate 1-2 dives either am or pm.
- 2:00 pm: Lunch
- 3:30 pm: Dive brief & diving
- 4:30 pm: Afternoon tea
- 6:30 pm: Night dive brief & dive
- 8:00 pm: Dinner
Wednesday: (Up to 4 dives)
- As per above. Exit last dive 5pm.
- As the sun sets we pour the champagne, lay out the nibbles and get ready for an Aussie BBQ party night. Don’t forget to wear your loudest tropical shirt or dress and sing along to music played by our talented crew.
- Spoilsport cruises back to Cairns overnight.
Thursday:
- Early morning docking.
- 7.00 am: Light breakfast.
- 8:00 am: Disembark and courtesy transfer to Cairns inner city hotels, the airport or our office where we can store your luggage until 4pm if you have a later flight.
Important:
- We recommend that you allow 24 hours between your last dive and your onward flight (all diving is finished by 4pm Wednesday).
- A luggage allowance applies to the flight from Cairns to Lizard Island:
- 25kg / 55lb per person plus 3kg / 6.5lb – carry on.
- An additional 10kg/22lb is allowed for professional photo/video housed systems.
