What a treat it was to recently treat myself to three days and two nights on the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. It’s not often that I myself get to frolic with the fishies, as I am usually chained to my desk. But having made a committment to explore more of the great barrier reef, I promptly boarded Passions with 33 other keen divers last saturday keen to dive the Ribbon Reefs. We were blessed with little to no wind and excellent visibility. The marine life was plentiful and we encountered flatworms, nudibranchs, and a ferocious puffer fish (also known as a star gazer), which gave me an awful fright when it came quickly at me to defend its coral hole. Needless to say it gave the others who witnessed my reaction to the attack a good laugh.
Divers onboard other diving vessels also got to experience the magical reef life. On a recent night dive on Supersport, certified divers spied a sleeping reef octopus. The octopus showed its best trick as it blended perfectly with the rocks beneath it. At the Whale Bommie, newly qualified divers came across a young sleeping leopard shark, slipper lobster, and a busy lionfish. At Upolo Reef, Passions of Paradise also saw a leopard shark and three large black tipped reef sharks.
David O’Malley, resident marine biologist on Ocean Spirit, told us about the many new fluffy seabirds nesting with their mothers on Vlasoff Cay. The cay was alive with hundreds of birds flying everywhere, looking for food for their newly hatched offspring. John also commented about the odd spotted ray cruising around the shallows of the cay. He reported approximately 20 metres visibility, and improving.
Dive Master Sam aboard OceanQuest claimed 10-15 metres visibility at Norman Reef, with conditions steadily improving as the winds died down. The weather should remain fine with lots of sun and pleasant east to southeasterly breezes. It is predicted that the breeze will remain at a low 10 knots until the end of the holidays.
Skipper Henry onboard Scubafish raved about conditions this week. Another flat sea and heaps of sunshine was experienced by everyone towards the end of the trip. The weather people say we’ll have gentle 10-15 knot sea breezes and a slight chance of showers at the weekend. If you’re out on the water this weekend keep your eyes peeled for the busy reef sharks and enjoy the treat!
I’m Bazza and I love my diving. To learn more about the magical sport of scuba diving simply check out my website diving in australia
