| Diving
on the Great Barrier Reef |
|
The Great Barrier Reef is renowned for its spectacular
diving, with unparalleled coral diversity and reef life. The
reefs accessible from Queenslands main dive centres offer diving
on a par with the best in the world. Visibility ranges from
6 to 30 metres depending upon the winds, tides and location.
Surface conditions depend on wind and tide; at low tide, an
individual reef can provide protection from choppy seas. Currents
are a fact of life offshore, and it is often best to dive during
periods of slack tide, or to dive in protected areas. A drift
dive will sometimes be the answer when currents are strong. |
What areas can I dive? |
| |
You can dive virtually anywhere along the Queensland
Coast and the Great Barrier Reef - simply choose the general
area, then select from day boats, island resorts or liveaboards
- there are plenty to choose from! |
Getting
to the Great Barrier Reef |
| |
Australia is well-serviced with international
flights coming into Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin and Perth.
Search around for the best flights that suit your itinerary
and never ask anyone what they paid for their fare - it will
always be less than yours! If you are on a dive trip only, try,
if you can, to come directly into Cairns to avoid the delays
of connecting flights out of Sydney or Brisbane. If not, Queensland
has many coastal towns and cities that serve as jumping off
points to the Barrier Reef and Coral Sea.
Brisbane, Queenslands capital and Cairns are the international
ports with regular domestic services to all the jumping off
points along the coast. Qantas (Australia's major domestic airline)
and now Virgin airlines will book and supply services to all
ports, either on their own flights or through a subsidiary.
Lady Elliot . Brampton
. Hamilton . Dunk and . Lizard
islands all have their own airstrips as do many of the Torres
Strait Islands.
Feeder airports are located at . Bundaberg
. Gladstone . Mackay . Proserpine
. Townsville . Cairns and
. Thursday (Horn) Island. Iron Range has an
airstrip, which is often used as a change-over point for far
north expedition trips through Portland Roads, serviced from
either Cairns or Thursday Island. |
Getting
Around |
| |
Regular bus services are available in most major
centres - check below on the related links for fares and schedules.
Taxis are everywhere, but can get expensive if you have a lot
of running around to do before your dive trip. Renting a car
is a good option if you have a group of people, are used to
long road trips and have the time. Plan carefully, as the distances
between cities are deceptively long. Rental cars are available
at every centre and airport. Some long-stay visitors even buy
a car for the duration of their visit. |
Road
Distances to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays |
| |
| Melbourne |
3174 km |
| Sydney |
2426 km |
| Brisbane |
1146 km |
| Rockhampton |
489 km |
| Townsville |
291 km |
| Cairns |
640 km |
Coaches (most with movies) operate regularly between all centres
and are the backpacker and budget traveller's choice of transportation.
The buses are met by backpacker representatives at most major
towns. You can take a train from Brisbane to Cairns - an inexpensive
and great way to see the countryside if you have the time. Hitchhiking
is illegal. Boating between Townsville and Cairns, or Cairns
and Cooktown is a great travel option, although diving is a
lower priority than cruising, snorkelling and island visits.
For more information refer to Rail
Passes Bus
Passes and Airline
Passes
Many of the dive operators offer a pick-up service from local
accommodations to dive sites. Helicopters, floatplanes and amphibians
can also take you directly to islands, boats or reef pontoons.
Most are on a charter basis but some have regular services.
|
Places
to stay |
| |
Stay in a deluxe all-inclusive resort or pitch
your tent on a remote reef - accommodations along Queenslands
coast run the gamut. Luxury 4 and 5 star accommodations are
available in all in major cities. Lady Elliot, Heron and Green
Islands have resorts and are coral Gays. Many Whitsundays, along
with Keppel, Magnetic, Orpheus, Fitzroy and Lizard islands are
"mainland' islands and also have resorts.
Motels, hotels, caravan parks, camping areas and backpacker
accommodation (privately run budget hotels) are available at
all centres and many places in between. Holidays Allover will
be happy to suggest affiliated accommodations or a hotel that
has the best deal for your requirements. Send us an e-mail.
Contact us
Keep in mind that June and July are peak months; prices can
vary greatly depending on when you go. Some islands (Great Keppel,
Magnetic, Hook and Fitzroy) have hostels or other forms of budget
accommodations. |
Climate
along Queenslands coast |
| |
Being in the southern hemisphere, Great Barrier
Reef (GBR) seasons are the reverse of those in Europe and the
U.S. - summer is December to March and winter is June to September.
Because of the GBR's length, which stretches between 9 and 25°
S (the same distance as New York to Miami, or the same Map/Graphic
latitudes and distance as Miami to Trinidad), there is a significant
difference in the weather from north to south. The whole of
the Barrier Reef is in the tropics, except for Heron Island
and the Bunker Group, which straddle the Tropic of Capricorn,
so anything below is considered `sub-tropical'. Distance from
the coast and the state of the sea have a significant influence
on weather as well.
Winds vary from long periods of calm - usually October to February
- to cyclonic (hurricane) conditions, which can occur from December
to April. There is a good cyclone warning system so don't worry
about being caught out. The benefits of diving at this time
of the year far outweigh the disadvantages - if there is a cyclone
around and you aren't too close you'll usually have superb calm
weather. The prevailing south easterlies blow from about April
to October but can occur any time. Fortunately, most reefs offer
a protected side regardless of wind direction.
Summer northwest monsoons - seldom extending south of Mackay
- give the north a distinct wet season from December to March.
It is usually hotter and wetter in the north, and Australia's
highest rainfall area is on the coast at Tully, just south of
Cairns. Humidity during the wet season can be oppressive for
short periods, but at sea on a boat or island allows you escape
from the less comfortable weather on the mainland. July to September
are drier. Temperatures are cooler in the south- and significantly
colder on the mainland, where the four seasons are more distinct.
|
What's
the best time of year to dive? |
| |
You can dive in Queensland all year round, but
you'll enjoy the most consistent weather between August and
January.
Average water temperatures, °C:
| |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
| Gold Coast |
26.5 |
26.5 |
26.2 |
25.3 |
23.5 |
22.1 |
21.1 |
20.9 |
21.0 |
22.0 |
23.5 |
25.1 |
| Whitsundays |
28.5 |
28.0 |
27.8 |
26.3 |
24.8 |
23.1 |
21.9 |
21.8 |
22.5 |
25.2 |
26.0 |
27.2 |
| Townsville |
29.0 |
28.2 |
28.2 |
26.6 |
25.1 |
23.3 |
22.2 |
22.2 |
23.1 |
25.6 |
27.1 |
27.6 |
| Cairns |
29.5 |
28.5 |
28.5 |
26.9 |
25.6 |
23.7 |
22.7 |
23.0 |
24.0 |
25.9 |
28.0 |
27.0 |
(As supplied by Bureau of Meteorology.)
The water temperature tends to lag behind the air temperature
about one to two months as you go south. Water is warm all
year round in the north, from about 24 to 30° C (75 to 86°
F). As you go south it gradually gets cooler, dropping to
20°C (68o °F) in winter and up to 28 °C (82o °F) in summer.
Barrier Reef waters are well-mixed so there is usually no
distinct thermocline (temperature change) as you go deeper.
Thermoclines still occur on hot still days with minimal tide
changes or where the colder oceanic waters slop up onto the
continental shelf, beneath the warmer shelf waters. |
Tide
talk |
| |
The gravitational pull of the moon and position
of the Earth in relation to the sun drive tides so they change
throughout the month and year. When the sun and moon are in
line we get spring tides, and when they are at right
angles to each other we get neap tides. Accurate tide
tables are available for most of the GBR, but turn to the
locals for subtle regional variations.
Divers like to plan their diving around neap tides to ensure
maxim visibility and lower tide flow. Spring tides bring dirtier
water, stronger currents and often worse weather. The Great
Barrier Reef generally has tidal changes twice daily -two
highs and two lows. At Thursday Island, tides are almost once
daily due to the connection, through the Torres Strait, between
the Coral and Arafura seas.
At the southern end of the reef and at Townsville, the maximum
change is about 3.0 m (10 ft). As you move toward Broad Sound
(between Mackay and Rockhampton), the ranges increase and
usually decrease as you move away from the coast. Outside
of Broad Sound it is not uncommon to get currents of up to
15 km/h (9 mph). Local dive operators know how to avoid the
channels, so listen to the briefings.
Tidal currents are a great reason to always dive with a safety
sausage or other signalling device. Learn how to recognise
good safety holds on the bottom, plan your dives, have good
surface backup and you'll be set for some great drift dives.
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