Category Archives: Underwater

On the 18th February, 2011 I did an overnight dive trip with Deep Sea Divers Den out of Cairns, Queensland. This was two weeks after cyclone Yasi and it was interesting to see how much damage had been done to the reef this far from the eye of the cyclone.

The third dive on day one was at Norman Reef.  Directly below where the boat was moored is a tower bommie known for friendly lionfish and shrimp.  I am told there are 12 varieties of shrimp on the bommie but I only managed to find three. As well as the lionfish and shrimp there was a leopard moray that unfortunately didn’t want to have his (or her) photo taken.

Here are images of the shrimp from that dive.

Scarlet Striped Cleaning Shrimp (Lysmata grabhami)

Red Stripe Shrimp (Phynchocinetes durbanensis)

Glass Shrimp

Sunday, January 9th was a beautiful Far North Queensland wet season day.  The skies were clear and seas were flat.  I went out with Down Under Dive to Hastings and Saxon reefs.  Three dives in 30 -31 degrees Celsisus water. Visibility was good.

Here are some photos of the trip (imported from Photoshelter).

The barracuda was circling about under the dive boat.

A Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) swims past on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Yellowtail Fusiliers can be found all over the Great Barrier Reef.  For this shot I decided to do something different and photograph it as it swam above me with the surface in the background.

A Yellowtail Fusilier (Caesio cuning) swims above on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

A dive out on the Great Barrier Reef wouldn’t be complete without an anemonefish or two.

A Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) in an anemone on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Having the 100mm macro lens on the camera meant photographing the whole of big animals like the Giant Clam was out of the question.  This is a chance to get up close and take a good look at them.

The valve of an Orange and brown Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas)

I have a soft spot for the Lizardfish.  Being rather territorial even if you scare them off it is not long before they are back pretty much in the same spot.

A Lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) sitting on some coral

This post is written in response to an article on Cairns.com.au reporting that most visitors to the Great Barrier Reef believed it was only worth visiting once.

I have dived the reef a few times, not as many as some, but definitely more times than most.  I have done day trips from Cairns and Port Douglas and liveaboards out of Cairns and Townsville.

The first reason I never get tired of diving the reef is the water.  It is warm and blue with good to great visibility.  Now I know everything is relative but when the majority of your diving has been in Victorian waters with cold water, poor visibility and strong currents, diving the reef is a great pleasure.

Now I may be a bit weird but I particularly enjoy diving with the big fish such as sharks.  They are such majestic creatures and terribly misunderstood.

Silver Tip Reef Shark

Potato Cod (Epinephelus tukula)

Last year I was fortunate enough to dive with some Dwarf Minke whales and it is an experience I will never forget.  This time of year is the best chance to see them.

Dwarf Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Minke Whale (photo: Alan Winstanley)

On some dives I will look for the smaller inhabitants of the reef.  I may decide to see how many varieties of nudibranchs I can find.

A nudibranch (Chromodoris annae)

Some of the inhabitants are territorial and you will have an almost certain chance of seeing them like anemone fish and Wally the Maori Wrasse.  The dive and snorkeling guides can show you the way to many of these.

Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion percula)

Black and Red Anemonefish (Amphiprion melanopus)

Wally (a Maori Wrasse)

The main reason I never get tired of diving the Great Barrier Reef is it is a dynamic, ever changing ecosystem. The abundance and type of species vary due to time of day, tides, and seasons. Every visit is different and to only go there once is missing out on a lot of what it has to offer.

Sunset on the Great Barrier Reef