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what was an incredibly productive series of dives. Even after
many years, the opportunities for marine-life photography I
found at Pixie Pinnacle were exhilarating.
The 55-mile chain of islands known as the
Ribbon Reefs
is
probably the best spot along the whole Great Barrier Reef to
experience the biodiversity of 1,500 species of fish and 400 of
coral. This is thanks to the area’s nutrient-rich currents, which
flow between the reef structures and nourish a remarkable array
of creatures including pygmy seahorses, manta rays and whales.
While there may be better places in the Indo-Pacific region for
macro photography and better places for wide-angle, the sheer
diversity of medium to large tropical reef animals and their
willingness to be approached by scuba divers because of a legacy
of marine conservation make the Ribbon Reefs hard to beat.
The next day found us exploring
Challenger Bay
, where
pristine hard corals rise from depths of 30 feet almost to the
surface. A massive school of trevally jack greeted us just beneath
the swim platform, while a small school of chevron barracuda
worked the edge of the reefline. Within the vast expanse of
bay are several small bommies, which rise nearly 50 feet from
a 70-foot bottom. Masses of opal sweepers and bannerfish
decorated the wide view, while the macro enthusiasts came
back to the boat with captures of leaf scorpionfish, spinecheek
anemonefish and longsnout butterflyfish.
The next stop was
Lighthouse Bommie
, a solitary pinnacle
rising from 85 feet below to within a few feet of the surface.
Huge schools of goatfish and bluelined snappers reside at
the base of the pinnacle, and amid the tubastrea-encrusted
overhangs we found a sleeping green sea turtle. Returning for
an incredible night dive, we spotted five more turtles likewise
tucked in for the night. It’s a big ocean out there, and protected
spots in which to nap are apparently hard to come by.
In June and July, Lighthouse Bommie is a good place to
encounter minke whales. Because they usually leave if they’re
chased, the protocol is to snorkel as a group while connected
to a floating line. The whales are curious and tend to come
close quite often, which makes minke encounters reliably
engaging during the season.
The Coral Sea
While the Great Barrier Reef is notable for its rich marine
life, particularly along the Ribbon Reefs, a 75-mile overnight
steam allows divers to awaken to the vast crystalline
wilderness of the Coral Sea.
At Osprey Reef the stunning water clarity can be appreciated
during a high-voltage shark feed at
North Horn
. The briefing
leads us to expect 30 to 50 sharks, mostly gray reefs with the
possibility of some silvertips and even a great hammerhead.
The wall slopes precipitously here, and there are lovely soft
corals around 80 feet and deeper. We saw several potato cod at
North Horn, but the greater attraction here were the whitetip
reef sharks lying about on the bottom. Of course we had seen
them on many other dives, but they were more approachable
here, and this reef offered better backgrounds. Soon the gray
reef sharks began to arrive — clearly attuned to the presence of
a dive boat. On our second dive at North Horn the crew roped
down a garbage can full of fish heads strung along a stainless-
steel cable. When the divemaster lifted the lid the sharks
charged, more than 40 of them gnashing and ripping into the
bait, while various grouper and snapper patrolled the seafloor
eager for the bounty of detritus raining down from above.
Significantly, the Coral Sea now has even greater protection.
On Nov. 16, 2012, the Australian government established the
Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve. It encompasses
more than 380,000 square miles, half of which is a fully
protected “no take” zone.
The Far North
Because of its remote location and brief dive season, Far
North Queensland— off the Cape York Peninsula — is an
experience only a few
lucky divers will ever
have. The liveaboards that
offer trips here usually
visit during October and
November (Australia’s
spring). I went just once,
From left: Soft coral tree,
Great Detached Reef; schooling
jacks, far northern Great
Barrier Reef; coral grouper,
Steve’s Bommie; gray reef sharks,
Osprey Reef, Coral Sea;
crocodilefish and diver;
Rhinopias scorpionfish
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spring 2013
STEPHEN FRINK
STEPHEN FRINK
STEPHEN FRINK
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