Research bookings (Lizard Island)
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How to book
Use the Booking Request Form to enquire about research visits up to 13 months in advance. Please check your eligibility before submitting a request for a research booking.
After assessment and acceptance of your research proposal, LIRS will send an invoice for a booking deposit. To secure the booking, the deposit must be paid by the due date. The deposit is non-refundable and is transferable only under certain conditions.
If the deposit is not paid within the time allowed, the booking is at risk until the deposit is received: LIRS may allocate the space to others without notifying you. The clock cannot be reset by making a new booking that overlaps the period of a previous booking.
Conditions associated with the booking deposit
Payment
A tax invoice will be provided for the final payment on or soon after departure. Payment is due on departure from LIRS, or within 30 days of invoice if arrangements have been made beforehand. The booking deposit, or a portion of it, will be deducted from the final amount as outlined in the conditions.
Payment can be made by direct deposit, Mastercard or Visa. A small fee will be charged for invoices paid by credit card.
| Check eligibility | Before doing anything else |
|---|---|
| Request a booking at the Research Station | Up to 13 months in advance |
| Pay the booking deposit, after carefully considering the deposit conditions | Within 30 days of the invoice date |
| Book flights | Well in advance to ensure that you can meet your LIRS booking |
| Apply for Marine Parks and Fisheries permits as needed | At least 3 months prior to trip for uncontroversial proposals |
| Apply for ethics approval, if needed | Depends on the issuing agency, some meet infrequently |
| Apply for an export permit, if needed | As soon as other permits have been issued, preferably at least a month before the trip |
| Send bulky equipment and/or dangerous goods (including laboratory chemicals) ahead by barge and advise LIRS about what you have sent | Depends on your location; remember that the barge goes only once every two weeks |
| Send a Diver Registration Form and supporting documents to LIRS for each intending diver who has not previously qualified to dive at LIRS | About two months before the trip, even if certain requirements have not yet been met |
| Book a boat licence course, if necessary | At least a month before the trip |
| Order food | According to the barge schedule; check the dates about a month before your trip starts |
| Email LIRS to advise arrival time so you can be met at the airstrip | About a week before the trip |
| Ensure that team members have all documents as needed to comply with diving regulations and a boat licence, as needed | Before departing for trip |
| Stay within baggage limit and do NOT use Nally bins or other large, hard containers for baggage | Before departing for trip |
Avoid costly mistakes
The logistics of organising a visit to Lizard Island can be challenging when you haven't done it before. Errors can be expensive as well as annoying. Some advice to avoid them:
- Apply for permits with plenty of time to spare. Sometimes they are issued with errors or omissions that take time to resolve and it is best that you are still at home to sort this out rather than wasting valuable field time.
- Ensure that all members of your team send in advance or bring all the necessary documents for diving and that at least one member of the team has an Australian boat licence. Dive medicals must be to AS2299, NOT to AS4005.1 - the wrong medical will mean a trip back to Cairns or no diving.
- Pre-book aquarium space. If you don't have any space booked, there may not be any available for you.
- Check that any essential lab equipment will be available - it might be booked by others or off the island for service.
- If you need to hire a scuba regulator, a BCD, or a wetsuit from LIRS, check that these will be available too. There is no need to check for other items of diving gear.
- If you need lab chemicals other than ethanol or formalin (which are available at LIRS), you will probably have to order them and they will have to come by barge because they cannot be flown. Some lab chemicals take weeks to get to Cairns, so order well in advance.
- Book your flights early so that you don't lose part of your deposit by being unable to fly on the dates you want.
- Do NOT turn up for the flight with more than your baggage allowance and do NOT use large, rigid containers such as Nally bins for flight baggage. Large and heavy stuff must come and go by barge.
- If you have a question, just ask us!
