Dave right here. Most of you could have heard of constructing a “bucket listing”, an inventory of issues that you just really feel it’s a must to do earlier than you die to make your life full. Properly, I’m far too disorganized to have a lot of an inventory, however one factor that I’d have had on by bucket listing if I have been to have made one, I’ve been fortunate sufficient to do: Diving on the Nice Barrier Reef.
I simply bought again from a protracted awaited trip to Australia, a part of which I spent in Northern Queensland, the place I used to be in a position to make a few visits to the outer reefs for some wonderful diving and snorkeling enjoyable. Having been born in Australia, and nonetheless being an Australian citizen, there are questions that I’ve been requested all my life from buddies and acquaintances. Have you ever ever seen a Kangaroo? Have you ever ever held a Koala Bear? What the heck is Vegamite? Sure, I’ve seen a Kangaroo, and held a Koala, and Vegamite is an Aussie factor that defies description, if , . The query that I’ve been requested one million occasions through the years that I’ve all the time needed to reply “NO” to, I can lastly reply “YES” to. YES, I’ve been diving on the Nice Barrier Reef. I’ve been a licensed diver for 16 years, and ever since I started pondering about diving, the Barrier Reef has all the time been one in every of my goal websites.
The reef was every thing that I had hoped it will be, really wonderful. I’ve carried out many fascinating dives, principally wreck diving within the Carolinas, and a few diving in Florida and the Caribbean. It simply doesn’t evaluate. The shear dimension of the Barrier Reef is overwhelming, you can spend a lifetime exploring, and nonetheless solely see a small portion of it. The images which might be posted within the weblog are from my journey out to the Agincourt Reef System, which is a portion of the outer Nice Barrier Reef system about 40 miles off shore out of Port Douglas, Queensland
You possibly can inform that I used to be the one reef geek on the dive boat. Whereas many of the divers on my boat have been hoping to see a shark, or a turtle, or possibly a migrating whale (don’t get me unsuitable, I’d have liked to skilled a dive with a whale), I spent most of my time in shallow water, wanting in all of the nooks and crannies, taking footage of “nothing” as I heard somebody say. The range was wonderful, and a few of what I noticed was fairly stunning to me. There have been big colonies of brown Sarcophyton and Lobophytum leather-based corals, rising very close to the floor, and huge colonies of White Pom Pom Xenia on the outer reef.
A few the issues particularly that I used to be wanting ahead to seeing have been some wild Clownfish, and Big Clams, neither of which I’ve had the chance to see right here within the Atlantic. The reef delivered massive time. I noticed some large T. gigas clams that needed to have been not less than 4′ lengthy, in addition to T. maxima, T. crocea and T. squamosa. A few of the clams have been in pretty deep water, one of many T. gigas that I noticed was in about 50 ft of water.
Clownfish litter the reef, wherever their host anemones can achieve a foothold. Widespread to most of the massive coral boulders have been clusters of Inexperienced Bubble Tip Anemones (E. quadricolor), which hosted principally Clark’s (A. clarkii) clownfish, and likewise some Cinnamon (A. melanopus) clowns. There have been additionally fairly a couple of spots the place what I imagine have been Lengthy-tentacle (M. doorensis) Anemones internet hosting principally Clark’s and some Maroon (P. biaculateus). Probably the most spectacular anemones that I noticed have been a couple of brilliant blue and purple coloured Magnificent or Ritteri (Heteractis magnifica) Anemones internet hosting Pink Skunk Clowns (A. perideraion). There have been others that I caught glimpses of, however I used to be unsure of the species.
The massive faculties of fish that dart in regards to the reef are equally spectacular, one of many extra good faculties that I noticed was one in every of lots of of Yellow and Blueback Fusilier (Caesio teres), that are fairly frequent to the reef. Additionally seen on the reef have been massive faculties of Inexperienced Chromis that dart out and in of the reef formations as they sense hazard.
I hope you benefit from the footage from my go to. I believe that this expertise wants to seem on my listing a couple of extra occasions, as as soon as was positively not sufficient.
It’s possible you’ll try heaps extra underwater footage I took of the GBR on the That Fish Place Fb web page.
Till Subsequent time,
Dave
