CAIRNS AND PORT DOUGLAS

GATEWAY TO THE BEST OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

Over the last thirty years Cairns and Port Douglas have grown from sleepy seaside towns to become major tourist attractions and a Mecca for divers wanting to explore the Great Barrier Reef. From both these towns operate countless dive shops and charter boats that take divers to explore some of the best dive sites on the Great Barrier Reef and beyond in the fabulous Coral Sea.

DAY TRIPPING
Most tourists, back packers and snorkels use the day trip boats to explore the reefs closest to Cairns and Port Douglas. While some of these sites have been damaged from too many day-trippers, there are still plenty of lovely dive sites here that scuba divers will marvel at. The best of these sites are generally found on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef, but some of the less visited sites closer in have some very interesting critters, but suffer from reduced visibility.
    Off Port Douglas Agincourt Reef, Norman Reef, Saxon Reef and Hasting Reef are popular. Each of these reefs have colourful walls on their outer edge and pretty coral gardens and pinnacles on their more sheltered inner sides. Reef fish and invertebrates are abundant at all these reefs, but also watch out for turtles, reef sharks, gropers, Maori wrasse, moray eels, stingrays and schools of barracuda and trevally.
    Day trips from Cairns visit Flynn Reef, Thelford Reef, Moore Reef, Millin Reef, Briggs Reef, Elford Reef, Sudbury Reef and Channel Reef. All these reefs have lovely coral gardens where you will see meadows of hard and soft coral, a range of invertebrate species and numerous reef fish. Most also have drop-offs coloured by gorgonians, soft corals and sea whips. Drifting along these drop-offs is usually the best place to observe pelagic fish like rainbow runners, batfish, mackerel, trevally and barracuda. Also common are turtles, stingrays and reef sharks.
    Visibility on the reefs visited by day boats from Cairns and Port Douglas varies from 15m to 30m, with the water temperature varying from 24C to 30C degrees. Conditions are generally good year round, with nearly always somewhere to dive no matter the prevailing winds.

RIBBON REEFS
For those with more time on their hands a liveaboard trip to the Ribbon Reefs is an unforgettable experience. The Ribbon Reefs form a long chain of reefs off Cooktown. Liveaboard trips to these reefs can vary from three to seven days, with the longer trips also including a few days out at Osprey Reef (more on this Coral Sea reef later).
   The most famous dive site on the Ribbon Reefs is Cod Hole. Though the number of potato cod has decreased over the last few years, divers will still see up to a dozen of these large curious gropers. The cod are fed a very controlled diet, to stop them getting too fat, with the feed also attracting sea bass and the odd Maori wrasse. The reef at Cod Hole is quite lovely with lots of ledges to explore, it is also a good place to encounter white tip reef sharks and pelagic species.
    There are dozens of fantastic dive sites on the Ribbon Reefs. Pretty coral gardens are a feature of Challenger Bay, which is always a good spot to see reef cuttlefish. Last time we dived here we watched a cuttlefish laying eggs in the coral for over ten minutes. While numerous giant clams litter the bottom at the Clam Gardens. However, some of the best dives on the Ribbon Reefs are on the countless pinnacles that rise from 30m.
    Pixie Pinnacle is covered in wonderful corals and home to masses of invertebrate species, reef fish and pelagic fish. This is a good spot to find fascinating critters like leaf scorpionfish, long-nosed hawkfish and flaming file shells. Temple of Doom is one of the fishiest dive sites on the Great Barrier Reef with schools of fusiliers, goatfish, surgeonfish and many others swirling around the reef. Steve’s Bommie is our favourite pinnacle, coloured by spectacular corals, it is a great place to see pelagic fish, stingrays, turtles and reef sharks. On one dive here we were buzzed by two grey reef sharks and also encountered a couple of large olive sea snakes.
    The Ribbon Reefs are brilliant to dive at any time of the year, with visibility from 15m to 40m and the water temperature from 24C to 30C. However, the best time to visit the Ribbon Reefs is in June and July, when the water and wind are coolest, as this is when dwarf minke whales make this area their playground.
    Dwarf minke whales reach a maximum length of only 8m, but they are the most curious and friendly whales on the planet. They love to investigate boats and divers, which has led to the most successful whale/diver interaction in the world.
    There are strict guidelines in place to swim with dwarf minke whales, first the whales have to approach the boat, which they often do in large numbers at times. Then the crew give a briefing and feed out a floating rope line. You slip into the water with snorkelling gear and clasp onto the rope, waiting with high anticipation for your first glimpse of a whale. When you see them gliding through the water they are stunningly graceful and beautiful, and if you are lucky they will stay around the boat for hours. This is mind-blowing stuff!

FAR NORTHERN REEFS
North of the Ribbon Reefs are the most untouched, unspoilt and most remote part of the Great Barrier Reef, the Far Northern Reefs. These wonderful reefs are only visited by a handful of charter boats each year, and only during the months of October and November when the weather conditions are stable.
    Most charter boats exploring the Far Northern Reefs depart from Portland Roads, meaning you have to first catch a flight from Cairns to Lockhart River. This is a memorable flight crossing endless reefs, rugged ranges and rainforest. But all the effort to get to these remote reefs is well worth it when you see the beauty of the corals and the multitude of marine life on the Far Northern Reefs.
    Raine Island is one of the most famous sites here. The island is surrounded by steep drop-offs, which are coloured by pretty corals, visited by pelagic fish and reef sharks and home to lovely reef fish. However, turtles are the main feature here. Hundred of turtles cruise around the island, as Raine Island is the largest turtle rockery in the world. On every dive you will see turtles swimming, mating or just sleeping, but also keep an eye out for the tiger sharks that love to feed on these turtles.
    Great Detached Reef has walls, coral gardens and pinnacles to explore. The pinnacles here are fabulous, decorated with soft corals and gorgonians and covered in reef fish. Common are turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays, leopard sharks and families of Maori wrasse.
    Mantis Reef is a great spot to see sharks, especially grey reef sharks and silvertip sharks. Semi Detached Reef has brilliant walls and caves with reef sharks, pelagic action and the odd Queensland Groper. Lagoon Reef has wonderful coral gardens and colourful walls with lots of turtles, gropers and even schools of mobula rays.
    As these areas are rarely dived there is still the chance to do exploratory dives on each trip, and have the chance to name the better dive site. Diving conditions on the Far Northern Reefs are generally calm in October and November, with the water temperature around 28C degrees and the visibility varying from 15m to 45m.

CORAL SEA REEFS
Many of the charter boats operating out of Cairns and Port Douglas also offer trips to two of the best Coral Sea Reefs, Osprey Reef and Holmes Reef. Located over 200km off the mainland coast, the Coral Sea Reefs offer some of the best diving in the world with walls dropping to 1km, amazing visibility that can be 60m at times and stunning corals and marine life.
    The twin reefs that make up Holmes Reef are not as regularly visited as Osprey Reef, but have outstanding diving. For wall diving there is nothing better than a drift dive at The Abyss or Golden Wall. Looking down the wall into the blackness is an eerie experience, but this feeling quickly passes as you watch reef sharks and pelagic fish patrolling the wall.
    The best corals are found on the pinnacles like Nonki and Turbo, where huge soft corals and gorgonians hang from the structure. These sites are also home to colourful reef fish, pelagic fish, fascinating invertebrate species and plenty of reef sharks. There are dozens of wonderful dive sites at Holmes Reef.
    Osprey Reef is famous for its sharks, which are seen in large numbers at the legendary North Horne. On every dive here as you explore the drop-off or the canyons you will have a dozen white tip reef sharks and a few grey reef sharks cruising around you. This is a popular shark feeding site and with baits in the water the impressive silvertip sharks turn up, and sometimes even the odd tiger shark or great hammerhead. Over the winter months scalloped hammerhead sharks can also be seen in deeper water at North Horne. Besides the sharks there are also spectacular corals, turtles, potato cod, gropers, pelagic fish and abundant reef fish making this one awesome dive site.
    There are other wonderful dive sites at Osprey Reef like South Horne, Pelagic Gully, Flashlight Ravine and Admiralty Anchor Bommie, but it will be North Horne that you will want to dive again and again. Many charter boats visit Osprey Reef, generally combining a visit with a few days on the Ribbon Reefs. Conditions in the Coral Sea can be great year round, with only the odd cyclone restricting diving out here at times.
    Of course there is much more to Cairns and Port Douglas than just diving. Allow yourself a few extra days to explore the towns, which have shopping, nightclubs, markets and a wide range of restaurants. You can also enjoy white water rafting on the Tully River, explore the spectacular Mossman Gorge, enjoy the cable car ride up to Kuranda, look out for crocodiles on the Daintree River or take a hike in the Daintree Rainforest. Cairns and Port Douglas are the perfect holiday destination.

Article appeared in Dive Log No,230 Sept 2007