Dive Trips in Australia
We are currently offering dive trips to various domestic destinations.
Many of our local operators are offering a ‘Safe Booking Policy’. These vary slightly, but in most cases, you pay a refundable deposit, and only pay the balance within a couple of weeks of travel when you are pretty sure travel will be possible.
Unfortunately, even domestic trips are subject to travel restrictions, and the restrictions often take into account where you are coming from, where you’ve been (recently) and where you want to go.
Travel to Queensland
Any person traveling from New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory may enter Queensland subject to completing and signing a border declaration. Any person that has been in a declared COVID-19 hotspot during the past 14 days, including Victoria and some NSW Suburbs, must not enter Queensland.
Official detail is here.
Travel to Western Australia
The WA Government has announced the strict temporary closure of the WA borders for all non-WA residents. They will not be reopening their borders until at least 8 August 2020. Official detail is here.
If you have a specific domestic destination in mind, contact us and we can give you the details of offers for resorts, day trips and liveaboards at that destination.
Dive Trips Abroad – When should I start planning my next trip?
International trips are also subject to travel restrictions, and the Australian Government has not given any hint on dates for international border re-opening.
Click here for an up-to-date summary of international border closures.
There is much talk, certainly in the airline industry, of travel bubbles and travel corridors. A number of our Pacific Neighbours are COVID-free and desperate to see tourism resume. Any travel bubbles will be implemented as bilateral agreements, probably based on a traffic light system: come from a green zone, travel to a green zone, and return home to your green zone – without the requirement for self-isolation.
Other countries are likely to be off the radar for travel without isolation until a vaccine is readily available. With that said, Pfizer are hoping to have 100 million doses available before the end of 2020.
In preparation for the lifting of travel restrictions, but with the timeline still uncertain, Resorts and Liveaboards around the world are also preparing Safe Booking Policies. Again these vary, but in most cases you pay a smaller or refundable deposit, and only pay the balance within a couple of weeks of travel, when you are pretty sure travel will be possible.
If you have a specific time in mind, it’s probably worth making the booking sooner rather than later. If you leave it too late, you might find that many divers have Safe Bookings in place, and have taken all the spots.
If you have a specific destination in mind, contact us and we can give you the details of offers for resorts and liveaboards at that destination.
Why book with a travel agent?
The main reason to use a specialist travel agent such as ourselves, it’s for our expertise. Our travel consultants are trained destination and product experts and know how to sort through the myriad of travel information available. Our industry knowledge and networks provide access to the best suppliers and first-to-market offers to ensure you get access to the best quality dive travel experiences.
“Longtime divers looking to introduce our kids (raised in North America) to the magic of Pacific coral. Deb consulted with us about numerous locations across the South Pacific that could be a fit, and guided us to the PERFECT place for our family. Bonus…we had a new moon, so the Southern Hemisphere sky really showed off for us. Love that they sent me to what is now one of my favorite places on the planet.” Leigh-Ann Allen (Google Review)
If we’ve seen one area in which we can be useful as travel agents during this pandemic, apart from helping our clients get home, it’s been negotiating cancelled plans, indeed – negotiating the entire uncharted territory this pandemic has created – on our clients’ behalf.
If you experience a problem while travelling, your agent acts on your behalf as your personal travel advocate. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, if you need to reschedule, if a supplier ceases to trade, or a natural disaster or personal accident occurs, the agent can provide support and assistance in a timely manner.
“I have relied on Diversion Dive Travel / Diveplanit for many years. Travel around the Pacific, particularly to the best dive destinations, can be complicated. It’s important to have someone who knows the territory, understands diving, and is always available to help.” Harvey Cohen (Google Review)
“Fantastic dive holiday company. We booked a recent trip with them to Gizo. I had never dived internationally and was a bit apprehensive just booking online but Simon was fantastic. Very attentive to requests and booked us the perfect dive trip. No surprises at the accommodation or the diving or hidden costs. Trust this company to book your dive holiday with them. We will be booking again.” Emma Parkinson (Google Review)
