Diving the great barrier reef

[Thrasherg]

Thanks everyone, we ended up booking a 4 night live aboard with Spirit of Freedom in October. We will fly to Australia, spend a week in cairns, then 4 days on a live aboard, then a week in New Zealand (north island) to see a very old friend and then a final week in Melbourne before heading back to the USA.. any suggestions of good shore dives on the north island (New Zealand) or in Melbourne in October? We will be broke by the time we get to Melbourne so just looking for some cheap shore diving to try whilst we are there..

 

[living4experiences]

We'd love to hear about your experience when you get back.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Mr42]

I’m new here, just looking for a way to contribute meaningfully. Sorry if I offend any keyboard warriors, snowflakes, gurning lefties, right-wing assholes, genders or races, or any particular preference or proclivity - I just don’t give a ****. I also haven’t dived every cubic centimeter of New Zealand’s maritime environs.

The first shore dive site that springs to mind for me is Goat Island, north of Auckland. It’s a very popular marine reserve and, although the parking and approach is well set up, it often crowded by NZ standards. In saying that, it’s an exceptional spot with depths between 5 and 15m, mostly shallower than 8m, with intense biodiversity and some very large examples of species that are uncommon to non existent in other parts of the work. Look out for the giant resident schnapper - he loves smashed kina (urchins).

Tutukaka Harbour has some pretty good shore diving nearby. Talk to the folks at Dive Tutukaka for local advice on this or, if your pockets are a little fuller than you anticipate, to book a trip out to Poor Knights - the finest recreational dive site on earth. Toot Harbour has a proliferation of rock lobster and plenty of paua (NZ abalone), if you like killing your hosts during uninvited visits. There’s a wide diversity of reef species down to 30m in a number of spots around the area, the locals all at least know what diving is and some of the best spots can only be found by talking with them. The best part of Tutukaka is the people and the people are all there for the sea.

Further south, the western Bay of Plenty has countless shore dive spots. A good place to start is in Tauranga, at Mt Maunganui beach. A lot of training is done on either side of the peninsula and there’s pretty good scenery around that whole area in depths down to around 15m. There’s something for everyone there and everyone visits, so it’s another good place to collect local knowledge. The surf beach side, if conditions are appropriate, is a great spot to play with a DPV if you want to cover a lot of ground fast. You’ll find a wide range of coastal and kelp loving species, even various flavors of shark and ray. The surge can be intense but that makes for a dynamic and thrilling experience, if that’s what you’re into.

If you don’t mind the cold, my favorite shore diving experience is drift diving the Waikato River, starting at the bungy jumping scaffold and heading down to the thermal creek (the name of which eludes me). Absolutely get local knowledge for that one - The Dive Shack are a good bunch (they took me through half my PADI IDC). It’s like a roller coaster on a calm day, deadly after rain. You’ll see trout, oxygen weed, tractors, houses, lots of trees… it’s a theme park ride more than your average dive. Did I mention the cold?

The south coast in Wellington has everything. Taputeranga Marine Reserve is expansive and diverse. Hunters (outside the boundary), explorers, fossickers, treasure seekers… it’s all there. In the 80’s the south coast was waaaaay better, but the humans did what humans do and trashed the place. The reserve has had just long enough to regenerate that it’s superior in biodiversity and density of wildlife than most of the world’s coasts, so it’s pretty impressive if you haven’t seen it before. I grew up poking anemones there, so it kinda breaks my heart to see what it is today, but everyone I know who didn’t experience it last century says it’s high on their list of favourite dive spots. There’s a few really good dive centers there with NZ cheap air and supplies… NZ cheap is not cheap, but it is what it is.

I know there’s people here who know a lot more and better sites than the ones I’ve mentioned, but this is what springs to mind for me. If I could be bothered, I’d mention the Bay of Islands, Coromandel, Great Barrier Island… there’s literally thousands of unique and incredible spots around the North Island of Aotearoa - Te Ika a Maui. The trick is to get here, get some local knowledge and get wet. Kiwis can be pretty precious about their secret gems, but if you look them in the eye and they think you’re okay, they’ll usually let you in on at least their second tier of magic spots.

There’s actually a book out there… I’ve got a copy in the boat - Spot X Fishing and Diving Spots. Google it, get a copy. There’s no real secrets in it, but it’s an excellent resource to get an overview of where the charter operators frequent and can give you good insight on what to expect in different parts of the country if you want to plan more broadly before you arrive.

I hope this helps and that you enjoy your trip.

 

[Thrasherg]

Many thanks MR42.. I will try and get a copy of the book you listed, but will definitely try some of the spots you suggested.

Gary

 

[MB NZ]

Poor Knights - the finest recreational dive site on earth.

That may be the most controversial part of your post

I've done 132 dives at the Poor Knights. It certainly can be very good and I've had some great dives there over the years. Ironically, the best dive I've done in the area was at Tie Dye Arch which isn't technically the Poor Knights, but close enough! Other times, rock, kelp, poor visibility and limited fish life. It can be a bit hit and miss.

 

[Russjstewart]

Thanks everyone, we ended up booking a 4 night live aboard with Spirit of Freedom in October. We will fly to Australia, spend a week in cairns, then 4 days on a live aboard, then a week in New Zealand (north island) to see a very old friend and then a final week in Melbourne before heading back to the USA.. any suggestions of good shore dives on the north island (New Zealand) or in Melbourne in October? We will be broke by the time we get to Melbourne so just looking for some cheap shore diving to try whilst we are there..

Shore diving in Melbourne raises a few questions
1, Where in Melbourne are you staying? Melbourne is wrapped around a horse shoe shaped bay, 2 hours driving from the SW side to the SE side of the urban sprawl is not unusual. Most of the cleaner water is further away.
2. How are you travelling? While public transport ( trains, trans and buses) will get you most places, do not expect it to be quick, think about hire cars.
3 How far are you prepared to carry your gear.? Some sites can involve cliffs, stairs or a longish walk

Melbourne Dive Sites Map - The Scuba Doctor has an online resource that may be of value to you.

If you are into weedy sea dragons I can recommend Flinders Pier on the SE side of Melbourne, if wrecks are more your style the remains of the paddle steamer Ozone are a shore dive off Portarlington which is at least a 90 minute drive from the CBD, it is 25+ years since I have dived there, so i can’t say what it is like.

Expect water temperatures of around 14 to 16 degrees C in October or if my mental arithmetic is correct around 57 to 61 degrees F.

 

[Thrasherg]

Just to answer the questions of Russ
1) We will be staying at Saint Domain Apartment hotel, Coventry Street 33, Melbourne, Very close to the center of Melbourne, so at the mid point of the horseshoe harbor.
2) We will have a rental car, so will be quite mobile (No idea what gas prices are like over there!!)
3) We really don't want to have to carry our gear more than about 200 yards (its heavy and we are old (55+!!).

 

[Russjstewart]

Petrol has been as low as $1.74 a litre last week but jumped to $2.14 a litre yesterday at most service stations.

I would suggest trying to dive mid week to help get a parking spot close to the pier. Portsea Pier especially can be a really busy spot On weekends, even in October

Portsea, Blairgowrie and Flinders Pier are worth a look at on the SE side, and give you options depending which way the wind is blowing, most piers can be a bit exposed, expect at least a 90 min drive though.

Www.baywx.com.au can be useful for seeing current wind direction and strength.

Generally speaking the further you are from Melbourne the better the water quality and marine life.

I strongly suggest having a look at the scubadoctor web site.

 

[Buster002]

I'm a Cairns local and have been a pro diver here for many, many years! So first off Cairns is considered the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and as a consequence, there are many options of trips you can take.

See here for an explanation of the different areas of the Reef, and here for overnight trips.

The Reef is making a comeback and is still a fantastic place to dive so don't believe all of the doom and gloom stories. The best areas are the Ribbon Reefs in the far north and the Coral Sea (30m / 100ft viz and deep waters with a lot of pelagics - shark feeds etc). Mike Ball and Spirit of Freedom are the 2 trips that run twice a week but book out months in advance so get in early if you want to dive the Ribbon Reefs.

The best time to dive the Ribbon Reef areas is June to September (our winter) when it's Minke Whale migration, so you get to dive with these creatures. Amazing experience.

From a weather point of view, the best 2 months are September and October when the seas are very calm, it's coming into summer but not humid yet. Warm water, calm seas, and really good viz. It's still off-peak tourist season so lots of availability and for the Outer Reef there are a lot of options.

Late November is the start of the monsoon (rainy season) so hot and humid, but still beautiful out at sea. getting pretty busy, and December is very busy with some boats charging Xmas surcharge of $100 around Xmas day etc.

Outer Reef is always nice and for all levels of diver. You can do 2 day 1 night, up to 4 or 5 days out at sea. Most do 3 day 2 night trips where you get around 11 dives. These trips run daily so will fit into most travel schedules.

Further down the coast the Yongala runs out of Ava Beach (close to Ayr) and is an amazing wreck dive, but not the GBR so would be a dedicated trip just to dive the wreck.

We had the first cycle in around 5 years here a few weeks ago which was a fizz. It's the following rain and floods that wiped us out and that's rare.

Cyclones are not that common and again having lived here for over 30 years I can count the number of cycles affecting me directly in Cairns to be about 6. Low pressure systems in the Coral Sea can form rough conditions at this time of year, but it's rare trips cancel unless the winds get up to 30 knots (again not that common)

Feel free to drop me a DM if you want more info about the Far North or Cairns even if it's not diving related. Happy to help out.

Hi ADS, just jumped in on this thread as I am planning a trip the the Barrier for July and would love some advice. Travelling with my family with a view to our two kids (15 & 17yrs) trying scuba for the first time. They are both comfortable in the water and have snorkelling experience. I would love to get some dives in (Advanced Open Water) and my wife would just snorkel.

Have dived in various places and very much want to avoid the mass tourism thing with hundreds of people getting dumped into the water. Thinking a multi day liveaboard could be the go to access some quieter parts of the reef? Any suggestions including recommended charters would be much appreciated. We will be based in Cairns. Cheers.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

@Buster002 Here is a link to diving with families that may help. Maybe easier to drop me a DM or write direct to info@aquaprodive.com and I can write a lot more

There is a lot to choose from and this post outlines a lot of options as well. I can help you with Cairns based trips and advice.

For overnight trips you want the Outer Reef ones and there are 3. Only 2 offer Introductory diving for the kids. (OceanQuest or Reef Encounter)

All the day trips offer intro diving and again plenty to choose from. For less crowds look at Reef Day Tripper, or if you want a lot of activities like semi subs, glass bottom boats etc look at Reef Magic.

Follow the links above and you should get all the info you need. Drop me a DM / email for more specifics if you want. Diesnt have to be diving-related.