TRAVEL
Australia’s Six Most Exciting Dives by Deborah Dickson-Smith , Diveplanit Travel International, New South Wales, Australia
A USTRALIA’S UNDERWATER highlights extend far beyond colourful coral reefs. From grey nurse sharks gathering around rocky
times, there is so much marine life that the wreck itself almost disappears behind the fish.
Signature species: Giant Queensland groupers, enormous rays, olive sea snakes and schooling pelagics. For group leaders: There are two par- ticularly good approaches. SS Yongala Dive operates dedicated day trips from Alva Beach with a maximum of 12 divers and a short boat ride to the wreck. For a bigger expedition, selected Mike Ball itineraries incorporate the SS Yongala into multi-day liveaboard trips alongside other Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea sites. 3. Forster, New South Wales: The NSW Mid North Coast is another hotspot for grey nurse shark encounters, with several important aggregation sites around Forster and Seal Rocks. At Forster Pinnacle, grey nurse sharks cruise gutters and rocky walls alongside wobbegongs, bull rays, eagle rays, turtles and large jewfish. The Pinnacle is recog- nised as one of the east coast’s primary grey nurse shark aggregation sites. Signature species: Grey nurse sharks, wobbegongs, bull rays and eagle rays. For group leaders: Forster Dive Centre is well set up for groups, operating a day charter vessel with capacity for up
pinnacles to great whites patrolling off- shore islands, enormous rays circling a historic shipwreck and curious dwarf minke whales approaching divers on the Great Barrier Reef, some of the country’s best dives are defined by big-animal en- counters. For dive clubs and group leaders, these experiences also make brilliant centre- pieces for an Australian dive trip. Here are six of the most exciting. 1. Wolf Rock, Queensland: Rising from deep water near Double Island Point, Wolf Rock is one of Australia’s great shark and ray dives. Most famous for grey nurse sharks, it is the only known gestation site for the east coast population, with mature females spending months around the rock. The action doesn’t stop with sharks. Manta rays, eagle rays, leopard sharks, giant Queensland groupers, turtles and olive sea snakes are regular visitors, with humpback whales passing through in winter. Signature species: Grey nurse sharks, manta rays, marble rays and eagle rays. For group leaders: Wolf Rock works
Rodney Fox Neptune Islands
SS Yongala
Cod Hole
particularly well for experienced dive groups looking for a short, action-packed Queensland escape, with diving operated locally from Rainbow Beach. 2. SS Yongala, Great Barrier Reef: The SS Yongala is much more than a wreck dive. Resting between approximately 14 and 28 metres, the 109-metre vessel has become a spectacular artificial reef since sinking in 1911. Huge Queensland groupers share the wreck with marble rays, spotted eagle rays, rare smalleye rays, turtles, sea snakes, giant trevally, barracuda and occasionally bull sharks. At
to 16 customers and diving sites around Forster and Seal Rocks. It’s an easy option for a weekend or a longer NSW coastal itinerary. 4. South West Rocks, New South Wales: Few Australian dives are as distinctive as Fish Rock Cave at South West Rocks. The cave runs for more than 100 metres through Fish Rock, creating an adventurous dive through a narrow passage that opens into a chamber, before emerging back into blue water. But the cave is only part of the attraction. Fish Rock is one of Australia’s best-known grey nurse shark aggregation
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