rowley shoals cruises

Meet at Odyssey Expeditions depot in Broome @ 10.00 am. Our dive master will be there to greet you and your check dive certifications.  We will transfer you and your luggage to the vessel, please make sure that you have all your equipment.   Cold beverage and a light lunch will be served shortly after leaving Broome and then it's an overnight steam to the Rowley Shoals.

We arrive at Clerke Reef, one of three atolls approximately 300 km north-west off the coast of Broome.   On approach to the atoll, we will gather on the bow to view the spectacular reef emerge as we cruise through the channel into the lagoon.  Following a dive/snorkel briefing you will be assigned your buddy pairs and be ready for the first dive/snorkel of the day, an introduction dive inside the atoll, "The Aquarium". After lunch, we will head outside the atoll where the water is deeper.

Into Homer at 6.30 am for a 7.00 am dive/snorkel at Clerke Wall before tucking into a hearty cooked breakfast. After a short break, its off to another of the many dive/snorkel sites, so much to see; schools of Hump Headed Wrasse, Parrot Fish, Pelagic species, game fish like Trevally, Tuna, Wahoo not to forget the amazing colourful reef.  Our next dive/snorkel is after lunch exploring some of the many caves and crevices of Clerke Reef.  Late afternoon or evening dive/snorkel depending on conditions at Eel Creek.

Clerke Gutters will be our first dive/snorkel of the day before a mid-morning roller coaster ride through the channel.  After a surface break, it is back into Homer to head for the north tip of Clerke Reef for an afternoon dive/snorkel at Blue Lagoon.

After our first dive/snorkel we take a last look at Bedwell Island before we head off to Mermaid Reef, 20 miles to our North. We cruise through the western face of Mermaid Atoll before  entering the inner reef. Our first dive/snorkel "V in the Wall", a huge chunk of reef that has broken of the main atoll in the shape of a V. Mermaid Channel dive/snorkel is next.

Mermaid Wall rising from a depth of 400 meters is a sheer wall alive with corals and fish. Dolphins, manta rays and turtles are frequently spotted in this area.  Coral Gardens is our second dive/snorkel.  Labyrinths is next and to finish of this amazing day we will drift dive/snorkel the channel.

Back to spectacular Mermaid Wall this morning followed by a visit to the Cod Hole for a farewell dive with the curious Potato Cod.   These two dive/snorkel spots are ones that nobody could ever get enough of. Mermaid Caves will be our afternoon dive/snorkel around 1.30 pm and then it is time to store our gear and depart Mermaid Reef  for an overnight cruise back to Broome.

Cruising over night this day has come all to soon we arrive back to the Port of Broome at approximately 9:00 am.  After breakfast  your courtesy  bus will transfer to your Broome accommodation or airport.

Your “welcome aboard” the luxurious TRUE NORTH cruise is in the frontier pearling port of Broome. embarkation is at 1700 – time for a cocktail with your fellow adventurers before departing at approximately 1800. Dinner is served shortly after leaving port and then it’s an overnight steam to the Rowley Shoals.

We arrive early at Clerke Reef. enjoy a sumptuous breakfast before exploring the atoll’s huge lagoon. You will marvel at crystal clear waters teaming with life – clouds of fish and corals of every imaginable colour and shape. There will be plenty of opportunity for beach combing on Bedwell Island, relaxed snorkelling in tropical waist deep water or perhaps some “catch and release” lagoon fishing using eco-friendly tackle. our qualified and experienced crew will be on-hand to personally introduce everyone to the delights of this pristine environment.

When you’re not on excursion, relax onboard TRUE NORTH and enjoy our renowned cuisine in air-conditioned comfort. The licensed open-air bar will definitely be the spot to witness your first spectacular ‘Rowley’s Sunset’.

Start the day with a visit to the Aquarium! Forget the Great Barrier Reef – this is world-class snorkelling at its very best! Even if you’ve never put your head under water before – this is an absolute must. The water is only waist deep however the experience is literally “out of this world”! More brilliantly coloured corals, giant clams and more than 600 of the world’s most beautiful fish species at your fingertips!
Don’t forget your underwater camera!

In the afternoon we’ll “crank up the action” with something very unique – high-speed snorkel drifts through the outer reef! Again our friendly crew members will be on hand to ensure that everyone gets to try this once-in-a-lifetime experience – as many times as you like! Our anchorage tonight is in the “swimming pool like” waters of Clerke Lagoon – 300 kilometres off the coast of Australia!

Perhaps an early morning swim and breakfast on the deck before the adventure boats set off to explore the outer reef! outer reef snorkelling is a totally different experience – the sheer coral walls teeming with life will take your breath away. The fishing boats will troll the deep blue in search of pelagic species such as Spanish mackerel, giant dog toothed tuna, wahoo and of course the fastest fish in the sea - the prized sailfish! Close encounters with humpback whales and manta rays are also on the agenda. Finish the day with sunset drinks on the beach and one of our famous Island Parties. Then it’s back to the ultimate comfort of TRUE NORTH and another perfect night in Clerke Lagoon – 360° stars reflected in a glassy ocean!

By now you will be addicted to snorkelling and diving amongst the untouched corals of Clerke Reef and your wish is our command! Spend the day exploring the outer reef, or perhaps ‘The Maze’ – an assortment of coral bombies inside the lagoon. Stroll along your very own sand cay, enjoy a swim at the beach or relax in the shade of one of our colourful umbrellas! Take a stand-up board for a paddle or circumnavigate the island in one of our twin kayaks. The dedicated fishers will be out again – one last chance to win the ‘Fish hat’!

Then all too soon it’s time for our overnight steam to Broome. Join the crew in the bar lounge and reflect on our shared adventures. Re-live what is guaranteed to be an experience of a lifetime as the Rowleys merge into a blazing western sky!

Early morning arrival in Broome in time to disembark at 0800 hours. Transfer to the airport or your accommodation – your voyage on the TRUE NORTH need only be the start of a Kimberley Adventure!

Your crew will welcome you aboard your luxury vessel around 5:00pm with drinks and canapés, before you settle in for a delicious dinner as we cruise towards the Rowley Shoals. You’ll then have all night to familiarise yourself with the boat and your fellow passengers, as well as to settle into your cabin.

After arriving at Clerk Reef at approximately 8:00am, we’ll make our way through the narrow channel to anchor inside the lagoon. Here we’ll embark on our first dive of the trip, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the equipment and the new environment, which you’ll find full of colourful coral, small caves and a multitude of tropical fish species.

The second dive for the day will be a drift dive through the channel to Clerk Reef, after which we’ll have lunch inside the lagoon. There’s a great opportunity here to enjoy some snorkelling before we head off for an afternoon drift along the edge of the atoll, at which point you can throw a line in to possibly catch a sailfish or two. With light permitting, we’ll end the day with another snorkelling expedition before enjoying a sumptuous evening meal.

We’ll set off to dive the Western Wall, a coral-encrusted wall with a steep drop and a rubbly bottom where you can explore cracks and caves dotted with shells and tropical fish. Back on the boat you’ll enjoy a cooked breakfast while we cruise to the next dive site that’s populated with pelagic fish and larger sharks. After we’ve explored the area, we’ll sit down on deck for a delicious lunch.

In the afternoon we’ll cruise around to dive ‘Tiger Alley’, where it’s common to see tuna, mackerel, sharks and large cod. Out of the water, we’ll spend sunset on a sandy beach watching the rare red-tailed tropical birds that nest on Bedwell Island. Weather permitting, we can have a barbeque, play a game of cricket or set off on a night dive around the anchorage area.

Our first dive of the day will be at ‘The Crevasse’, before sitting down to a cooked breakfast en route to Mermaid Reef. We’ll then dive at both ‘V in the Wall’ – a large V-shaped bommie jutting out of the reef edge – as well as ‘The Cod Hole’. As the name suggests, three big potato cod live here and they like to get up close and personal. The boat will then head in at sunset to anchor up for the evening, at which time we can go skurfing, snorkelling or take off on a night dive to the outer wall. As Mermaid Reef is a National Marine Reserve, there is no fishing permitted here.

Today we set off for the most spectacular dive site of the Rowley Shoals, known simply as ‘The Wall’. This is a drift dive through a reef with a sheer vertical wall that plunges down 110 metres. Large sharks can be spotted here, including the rare greater hammerhead. Before lunch we’ll dive down to ‘The Caves’, a great area for finding sleeping turtles and unusual shells.

In the afternoon we’ll visit ‘The Net’, our most challenging dive site. You’ll swim through an intricate web of reef, bommies, overhanging caves and cracks. This dive goes as far down as 40 metres, with stunning coral formations and tropical fish species to be found in abundance. The last dive of the trip will be at twilight, before we pack up and cruise back to Broome.