My Holiday
September 2006 This was the moment when I went to Australia for two live-aboards. I have chosen for the Undersea Explorer. There were several scientist on board performing different studies during both trips. As guests we were invited to join them in their surveys and even participate with it. The first one was to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea. The almost vertical reef walls, which rise from a depth of 2000m, are home to a dwarf form of Nautilus pompilius that is isolated from other nautilus populations by more than 100 km. During these dives we've measured and tagged several animals which were catched during the night. Returning to Port Douglas, about 66 km north of Cairns I've stayed a few days in the Daintree rainforest at Cape Tribulation before I went on the second live-aboard which brought me to the Far Northern Reefs. On this trip we've visited Cod hole and met several "Potato Cods" and went to Raine Island which harbours the world's largest's remaining population of Green turtles. Nine days and some beautifull dives later I flew back from Lockhardt River to Cairns where the return journey started.Location
Queensland, home of the Great Barrier Reef and commonly referred to as the "Sunshine State", is Australia's ultimate outdoor playground. The Great Barrier Reef Near Cairns and Port Douglas is the area of the reef that is closest to the Queensland coast. The Ribbon Reefs have a chain of 10 Reefs, which from the air look like ribbons and lies between Cairns and Cooktown. Beyond the Continental Shelf to the east/north-east of Cairns in mid ocean are some isolated reef systems, the Northern Coral Sea. The Far Northern Barrier Reefs are located in the area between Lizard Island and the northern tip of Australia, Cape York & Thursday Island. The Far North is so remote and pristine, it is truly an unspoilt area which offers the very best diving on the Barrier Reef! The Great Barrier reef lies in the Coral sea which is part of the Pacific ocean.Geography
The Great Barrier Reef is the most famous reef system in the world. It is actually not a single continous reef but is made up of more than 2800 individual reefs, shoals and over 900 coral islands. Together, they stretch more than 2000 km and cover a total area of 34 million hectares. It is a long chain of many single reefs. From outer space, this is the only visible living biological community of our planet. More than 2900 single reefs and 900 islands are home for 400 different kinds of soft and hard corals, more than 4000 different kinds of snails and mussels, thousands of sponges, worms, crustaceans and many other creatures.Language
Although Australia has no official language, English has always been entrenched as the de facto national language. Australian English is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon, and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.Climate
All year round maximum temperatures are 25°C/77°F to 33 °C/91°F. When it is "really cold" in Cairns, we have 25°C/77°F during the day and 15°C/59°F at night. Rainfall is not more than 100 mm per month from May to October. In July and August it is usually lower, but it is quite windy this time of the year. Water temperatures drop down to 21°C/70°F. January to March we have the wet season with lots of rainfall and high humidity, it is also the cyclone season. Water temperatures are 26°C-30°C/79°F-86°F. In general end of August until January seem to be the best months for diving. "Stinger season" is from November until April. The dangerous "Box Jellyfish" come out of the rivers and move along the coast. In that time you can swim only in protective nets which are provided at all tourist beaches out of Cairns. The good news for divers is that the Box Jellyfish are not usually a problem because they don't come out to the reefs.Diving conditions
There are beautiful coral gardens with rich tropical fish life everywhere on the Ribbon Reefs. At the Northern tip of those reefs you find the Cod Hole, one of the most famous dive sites in Australia. Beyond the Continental Shelf to the east/north-east of Cairns in mid ocean are some isolated reef systems known as Northern Coral Sea. Here you find crystal clear water, steep drop offs, and pelagic fish in the open Pacific Ocean! Large soft corals and gorgonians are also typical for this area. The Far Northern Reefs are located in the area between Lizard Island and the northern tip of Australia, Cape York & Thursday Island. Due to weather conditions, these reefs are only visited between September and January each year. The Far North is so remote and pristine, it is truly an unspoilt area which offers the very best diving on the Barrier Reef!Time difference
-8hrs GMT
