Dive Review of Nimrod Explorer in
Australia

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Nimrod Explorer, Sep, 2005, by Bill, CA, USA . Report 2063.
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	This catamaran was built in 1984, and whether refitted or new as a dive boat, the very spacious dive deck created a tiny camera table and leaves off a small toilet cabin on the dive deck, in the "wet" area. As in some "cats" the cabin geometry gets wierd: I booked early and got a main deck cabin for me and my lady,with a full dresser, queen bed, nightstands, en suite full bath and a monster closet - sort of a small hotel room! However, the quad cabin (belowdeck in one of the hulls) sardines four people in a v-berth. I recommend that you book early for a good cabin. The boat needs an icemaking machine (no ice available) but all drinks were refrigerated. Local soft drinks, beer and wine plentiful. Salon got a little cramped for 18 divers. I booked for mid-September, to avoid cyclone season. Sunshine was uncommon; winds blew 24/7 . I didn't do my weather/water temp research well, and expecting balmy, smooth Western Pacific conditions, we got 73 water, and 24/7 15-20 knot wind in 65 degree air. I am now informed that in the later Aussie summer things warm up and settle down. In a 3mm suit my buddy got cold; my 2mm suit was just enough; most were diving in heavy neoprene,some with hoods. Match your dive suits to the conditions, although the boat has a rack of its own heavy suits available. Whitecaps everywhere. The hard coral was beat up pretty bad - expanses of dead corals. Soft corals were scarce. Occasional sea fans; standard enchanting Pacific small fish life; ocasional rays; one flame scallop and one weed scorpionfish; no pelagics showed Cabin linens were changed early and nicely. Wierdly, no bath washcloths were aboard - take them with you! Cook Sue put out many splendid meals, Aussie style. Captain Jack and his dive staff were most professional,always helpful. Demi, the senior deck guy, is a Japanese vaudevillian, with limited English skills; his lengthy dive briefings were unique, thorough, and sometimes raucous. Nimrod's safety briefings and deck safeguards were optimum - the boat does not move until all signatures are on the clipboard. This boat is fine for novice divers, with any dive accompanied upon request. Experienced folks were at liberty to dive their computers consistent with their training levels, with bottom times not to exceed 70 minutes. Nitrox on board. Most of the good stuff on the bommies was at 70 feet upward. The missing small amenities on Nimrod are more than made up for by the great crew of six. Nimrod does not pennypinch on fuel to avail of good diving conditions; on the ribbon reefs the vis was sometimes 40 with particles kicked up from surface chop in the shallows; the skipper did a 120 mile, 14 hour seaward transit to Holmes reef,with Osprey reef not doable due to sea/wind conditions. The transit running into the seas was a challenge for those prone to seasickness. Holmes had some great dive sites, better critters, 100 foot vis. This was my third trip with Explorer Ventures (two to St Maarten); consistent with the Caribbean boat, the high point of Nimrod was the great crew. Jack the skipper, Sue the cook, and Demi (who probably stays up all night anyway working on his theatrical dive briefings) helped us off the boat at 0500 for an ealy Cairns flight. Nimrod's Cairns land support office folks were great. Don't expect Palau or Little Cayman diving conditions; don't expect a super plush boat; photographers should not be excessively equipped; expect a well run, fairly appointed boat with a service oriented, super-fine crew .
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Carribean, Western, Central and Eastern Pacific, Cortez
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	72-76°F / 22-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Divers were urged to dive their training limit e.g. open water only to 60. 70 minute max bottom time. Nothing below 130 feet.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Camera table is tiny, three feet by four feet. My double strobe Nikonos wide angle rig ate up half of the table. No cover net for equipment for long transit over choppy water, requiring divers to move cameras, strobes, etc. into cabins. No converted battery chargers at the table (take non-rechargeable batteries and a converter for battery packs). No photo pro on board.

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Dive Review of Nimrod Explorer in Australia

Nimrod Explorer, Sep, 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 Nimrod Explorer in
Australia