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
