The Great Barrier Reef: Scuba Diving Magazine

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ROD KLEIN

P U BLIS H ED IN

The Great Barrier Reef

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A V I SUA L T OU R ABOVE AND BELOW

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THERE’S NO EASY WAY to wrap your head around the super-sized Great Barrier Reef. Divers—even those on live-aboards— can experience only the merest fraction of it, so a little geographical orientation is vital to making this monster reef comprehensible.

First, what we commonly call the Great Barrier Reef—that is, the 1,250-mile-long natural wonder off Australia’s Queensland coast—is actually the outer reef line, separating the Coral Sea from a vast and mind-bogglingly beautiful turquoise lagoon. Inside the reef are hundreds of islands, some of which are largish land masses that were originally part of the mainland. Other islands are tiny coral specks that have emerged out of the reef itself. Surrounding many of these islets are fringing reefs, where divers can explore luxurious coral gardens and sloping drop-offs.

Farther out lies a world of even headier action. Among the best outlying options are the northern Ribbon Reefs, poised at the edge of the continental shelf; divers often stop here en route to the even more remote (but no less sublime) Coral Sea reefs.

The view from Down Under: Glassy sweepers encircle a luminous feather star atop wire coral in the northern Ribbon Reefs.

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Sheer walls, brilliant clarity and lush life make Osprey Reef Australia’s can’t-miss dive site.

D U E T O I T S I M M E N S I T Y, V I S I T S to the Great Barrier Reef can

take many forms—from easy day trips to 10-day excursions on liveaboards out to the Coral Sea. Day trips are available out of all northern Queensland’s tourist centers, the best known of which are Townsville, Cairns and Port Douglas. However, since the ride to the reef itself can be up to two hours each way, a two-tank dive is often a full-day affair.

Instead, divers can opt to stay at one of the many resorts on islands such as Lizard, Heron and Lady Elliot, pristine getaways with first-rate facilities. Or they can base themselves on one of the Whitsundays, 74 idyllic islands often described as Australia’s Caribbean, just off the Queensland coast. Eight of these islands, from upscale Hayman Island to laid-back Hook Island, offer accommodations.

To truly experience the array of dive options in these waters, venture out on a live-aboard to the Coral Sea reefs, the northernmost of which is the famed Osprey Reef. Located some 120 nautical miles east of the mainland, Osprey, an isolated oceanic reef rising from a volcanic seamount, features eye-popping drop-offs and major shark action.

At Cod Hole, divers swim with gentle potato cod up to six feet long. Top: A red sea fan makes a colorful backdrop for a pale sea cucumber. Center: A crab hides inside a green carpet anemone.

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COOKTOWN, A PICTURESQUE HAMLET SURROUND E D B Y B E A C H E S , rain forest and mountains, is best known to divers as the gateway

to Lizard Island. But the historic little town—accessible by four-wheel drive or by a scenic, 45-minute flight north from Cairns—is well worth exploring in its own right. The first European settlement in Australia, it was named for British explorer Captain James Cook, who spent two months here in 1770 repairing his ship, the Endeavour, which he’d damaged on the reef off nearby Cape Tribulation. To this day, Cooktown remains steeped in all things Cook: In addition to the impressive James Cook Museum, which documents the explorer’s many voyages, the town has no fewer than six monuments to the man himself.

About 60 miles northeast of Cooktown is Lizard Island, a supremely secluded white-sand paradise. With spectacular fringing reefs and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, the island is a top draw for divers from around the world. To the northeast of Lizard Island is much-photographed Cod Hole, a popular dive site known for its resident potato cod, gentle and inquisitive giants that reach up to six feet long.

The drop-offs at Osprey Reef, out in the open Coral Sea, are blanketed with outsized gorgonians, sea whips and soft corals.

T H E R E ’ S N O S I N G L E B E S T T I M E to plan a dive trip to the

Great Barrier Reef, since the visibility is clear year-round and the water temps are consistently comfortable (from the low 70s in winter to the mid-80s in summer). The waters are always filled with spectacular activity, which varies with the season. In summer months, you might see migrating dwarf minke whales, known for their playfulness and approachability, around the Ribbon Reefs north of Cairns. All year long, enormous manta rays cruise many popular sites, and in August humpback whales arrive from the Antarctic to calve. And every October or November (and sometimes in December), a don’t-miss event takes place a few days after the full moon: the annual coral spawn. After dark, the corals release their tiny gamete packages into the water column, creating a spectacle for divers and carrying on the work of repopulating and growing

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this great reef.

The action is just a giant stride away from any of the Great Barrier Reef’s many live-aboards.

GET THERE

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For more information about Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, turn to In Depth,

page 103, section 1.

Killer vistas make the short flight to historic Cooktown a highlight of any reef trip.

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