TRAVEL continued
buzzing with sweetlips, barracuda, turtles. Harry’s Bommie – Ribbon eels and leaf scorpionfish; wide - angle friendly. North Bommie – Rays, batfish, and big gropers (groupers). What you’ll see: Green & loggerhead turtles (nest Nov– Mar, hatch Jan–Apr), wobbegongs, stingrays, garden eels, night - dive Spanish dancers. Depths 30–70 ft / 9–21 m. Club tip: Time a visit for turtle season or whalesong
sional current for fun drifts. Club tip: Mind the strict baggage limits on flights; issue a soft - bag packing list and share camera - rinse/charging plans to keep the photo team happy. Getting there from the U.S.: Fly to Brisbane (BNE) or Sydney (SYD) from gateways like LAX-SFO-DFW-IAH- JFK (1–2 connections typical). You lose one calendar day on the way out and gain one returning due to the Interna- tional Date Line. Domestic hops: Keppel Islands via Rockhampton (ROK) then 40 - min road transfer to Rosslyn Bay marina. Heron Island via Gladstone (GLT) then boat or seaplane to the island. Bundaberg & Lady Musgrave via Bundaberg (BDB); day boats to local reefs/Musgrave.
months; add a guided turtle walk topside. Bundaberg Coast & Lady Musgrave
Club fit: Budget - friendly base with mix of shore dives (Barolin Rocks), local boat dives, plus the blue - water feel of Lady Musgrave’s lagoon + outer wall. Add the ex - HMAS Tobruk wreck for experienced divers. Signature dive sites: Barolin Rocks – Shore - entry bom-
mies and ledges with soft corals; tur- tles and cuttlefish common. Lady Musgrave – Lagoon Gardens – Long shallow coral meanders; macro and turtles. Lady Musgrave – Outer Wall – More schooling fish, trevally/barracuda, grey reef sharks; whalesong in winter. Ex - HMAS To- bruk – Vast steel habitat with school- ing batfish and cod; penetration only for qualified divers.
Heron Island, Jordan Robins, Cowtail Stingray
Lady Elliot Island via fixed - wing flights from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Brisbane, or Gold Coast. Baggage notes: Australian domestics generally allow ~50 lb / 23 kg checked (varies by fare). Lady Elliot’s small air- craft have tighter limits (often 33–44 lb / 15–20 kg total soft baggage); plan to store hard cases on the mainland.
Group Logistics at a Glance Ideal group size: 8–20 keeps boats cohesive. ▪ Lead time: Hold space at least 9–12 months out for ▪ peak seasons (mantas/whales, U.S. summer). Resorts on cays are inventory-limited. Rooming: Mix of twin/double hotel rooms and family ▪ rooms on islands; mainland has hotel and apartment op- tions. Diving cadence: 2-tank mornings standard; add a 1-tank ▪ afternoon or night dive where available. Nitrox widely available. Ratios & briefings: Guide-to-diver ratios vary; many op- ▪ erators run ~1:6–8. Confirm private guide/photography options if needed. Non divers & snorkelers: Excellent from beach/boats ▪ at all four areas; turtles year-round; manta snorkels at Lady Elliot when conditions allow. Reef levies: Expect a small per day GBR environmental ▪ levy collected by operators. Safety & admin ▪ Certification: Open Water or higher suits most sites; Ad- ▪
What you’ll see: Turtles everywhere, eagle rays, summer leopard (zebra) sharks, seasonal humpbacks, nudibranchs/leaf scorpionfish on ledges. Typical depths 25–80 ft / 8–24 m. Club tip: Build a 3 - day block here: shore warm - up + day trip to Musgrave + optional wreck day. Lady Elliot Island Club fit: The manta hotspot with dive sites just minutes away. Predictable logistics, great snorkelling for non - divers. Signature dive sites: Lighthouse Bommie – Famous manta cleaning station; turtles, trevally, barracuda. Coral Gardens / Second Reef – Hard - coral fields, giant clams, chromis clouds; long, easy profiles. Spiders Ledge – Steps and gutters with white - tips, eagle rays, big gropers. The Blow Hole – Cavern/surge swim - through when conditions and experience align. What you’ll see: Mantas (peaks May–Aug), turtles yea- round (nest Nov–Mar, hatch Jan–Apr), reef sharks, eagle rays; winter whalesong. Depths 30–70 ft / 9–21 m; occa-
FORTY-FIVE | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
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