Odyssey
Odyssey offers diver the opportunity to visit the legendary Rowley Shoals, perhaps Australia’s most isolated diving region of all time.
She runs does epic 19 day tours, which are half scuba diving and half sightseeing around the wildernesses of The Kimberley.
Great for: Long Trips, Non-Divers, Land Excursions
Trip Lengths: 8 – 19 days
Max Guest Capacity: 20
Operates: September & October (rest of the year is Non-diving cruises)
Review:
From September – October, Odyssey tours the very best dive sites of the Rowley Shoals, off Australia’s northwestern coast. Less than 200 people a year visit this stunning Marine Park!
The 7 nights Rowley Shoals trip features a total of 26 drift, night and lagoon dives, among vibrant coral that is teeming with fish, reef sharks and macro critters. There’s also the chance to spot humpback whale and dolphins.
The 19 day tour is exactly the same as the 7 night trip, in terms of diving; but also includes a week + Kimberley Cruise, with many exciting land excursions and sightseeing activities (but no more diving).
In total, there are 3 spacious outdoor viewing decks, where guests can sunbathe, enjoy al-fresco dining or simply relax. Odyssey is equipped with state of the art viewing and surround systems, large plasma and LCD screens and DVD players.
There are 6 deluxe double cabins and 4 twin share cabins, all of them equipped with AC, storage units and bar fridges.
Odyssey is a spacious and comfortable, albeit somewhat dated feeling boat. Reef Prince, offers the same Rowley Shoals diving experiences, whilst also letting you partake in more activities, e.g. watersports. Reef Prince as a boat is also more spacious and luxurious than Odyssey.
However, if you want to go on a truly long trip boat trip (16 days) and don’t mind if you’re not diving every day, Odyssey is the only liveaboard that can offer this.
Guest Reviews:
Other Features:
- Camera station
- Laundry services
- Library
- Sun deck
- Daily housekeeping
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Audio and video entertainment
- Warm water showers
- Photography station
Judy O from New Zealand said:
“Odyssey is usually used for trips up into the Kimberley so it is not primarily used as a dive boat. While she was more than adequate, on occasions it was obvious she hadn’t been designed as a dive boat.
Diving is done from “Homer”, the tender. All of us dived from the one tender and while there was more than enough space, it took a while to pick everybody up / get everybody on board / into the water. An extra zodiac would improve efficiency significantly.
Liam the chef kept the good food coming. Cooked breakfast every second day and on the days with no cooked breakfast you got dessert. I put on weight on the trip!! Plenty of snack food available – home baked cookies, fresh fruit….
The diving – I was happy. The best thing for me was the stunning isolation, 360 degrees of horizon, turquoise waters (water temps 29-30 – most people dived in rash suits, I am cold blooded and even I was plenty warm enough in sharkskin!).
The coral was pristine (I guess not often visited), colourful… Fish – plenty of white tipped reef sharks, grey reef sharks, saw some leopard sharks & a hammerhead was spotted. Turtles. Potato cod but the big cod promised at cod hole never eventuated. Schooling Trevally, the hugest Bumphead Parrot fish I have ever seen, coral trout, angel fish… many varieties of clown fish…
We also had dolphins swimming at the bow of Odyssey and were lucky enough to see a Mama Humpback whale & her calf up close at Mermaid Atoll (this alone made the trip really!). We had 18 dives in the week long trip. Overall a fun trip with a good group of people”.
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