TRAVEL continued
Yongala (March). Spirit of Freedom also has adventures to the Far East (e.g. Lihou Reef). Rum Runner tends to limit their ex- peditions to Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea and the lower Ribbon Reefs of the GBRMP. Signature Dive Sites: In the Far North: Ashmore & Boot Reefs are spectacular as are Detached Reef’s Twin Peaks and Rainbow Road. Meanwhile, a visit to the wreck of the Pandora of ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ fame is a weather-dependent bonus. Then you have Raine Island, the largest green turtle breeding area in the world. In the Coral Sea: the Shark Feed at Osprey Reef’s West Wall and North Horn, Round the Bend, Admiralty Anchor, False Entrance and Shark Reef are a must. Bougainville Reef’s Crystal Plateau and Dungeons & Dragons are stunning while the wreck of the Antonia Tarabocchia is exciting. Holmes Reef’s Nonki Boomie, and Amazing are stunning. On the Ribbon Reefs: Dynamite Pass, Cod Hole, Snake Pit, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Coral Kingdom, Light House Boomie, Pixie Gardens, Pixie Wall, Cracker Jack, Two Towers, The Clam Beds, Steve’s Boomie, Flare Point and Twin Peaks are considered iconic dive sites by both local and international divers. What You Will See: All three vessels have destination itineraries that suit every diver’s needs including those interested in wide angle, portrait and macro photography. The one thing you will notice is out in the Coral Sea is the presence of schools of big fish such as barracuda, giant trevally and tuna – something that is not always common elsewhere! There is an amazing 1,628 fish species, 400 species of hard corals and 200 species of soft corals in the regions visited. Fur- thermore, there are 6 species of turtle, multiple species of shark, manta rays, sea snakes, a large variety of nudibranchs, flatworms and other macro subjects. You can also snorkel with minke whales between late June and August. Similarly, the underwater geography varies considerably from one dive destination to another which makes for an extraordinary diversity of scenery. In the Far North and out in the Coral Sea magnificent walls drop vertically from the shallows to over 1,000m / 3,300ft and out there anything could turn up from a giant hammerhead to a massive school of barracuda. Meanwhile, the Ribbon Reefs provide gradual drop-offs to a sandy bottom at 40m / 132ft. The Ribbons Reefs have iconic dive sites like Steve’s Boomie where a single column / pinnacle rises from 40m / 132ft to just 5m / 16.5ft from the surface and is clouded in huge schools of fish of different species and much more. The Diving: Expedition diving can be challenging in some
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker