| Dive area / region : Cairns - See the map |
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| Best diving season : January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recommended number of days to stay : More than 1 week... | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number of dive sites : More than 20 Dive Sites | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water temperature and wetsuit advice : 26C-… : Shorty or Thin Wetsuit | |||||||||||||||||||
| Average visibility : 21 - 25 meters | |||||||||||||||||||
| Average dives depth : 15 Meters | |||||||||||||||||||
| Type of currents : Medium level currents | |||||||||||||||||||
| Months when these currents are present : All year around. | |||||||||||||||||||
| General surface conditions : Medium conditions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wreck types : Recent world ships • Artificial wrecks • War ships |
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| Type of marine life : Anemone • Barracuda • Corals • Crayfish • Cuttlefish • Dolphins • Dugong • Grouper • Jacks • Jelly fish • Lobster • Moray Eels • Nudibranch • Octopus • Plants • Rays • Reef Fish • Sea snakes • Sea urchins • Seahorses • Shark - Grey nurse • Shark - Reef shark • Shrimps • Softcoral • Sponge • Squid • Star fish • Tuna • Turtles • Whales • Worms | |||||||||||||||||||
| Presence of caves / caverns : No | |||||||||||||||||||
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Scuba Diving in Cairns
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Description
According to many scuba divers who used to travel for scuba diving, Cairns and Port Douglas located in the Queensland, Australia, are unarguably the world's most exotic and outstanding snorkeling and diving destinations in the world.
I] Location of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
I] Location of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
Cairns is one of the oldest town, situated on the Queensland coastline, can be found on the North East of Australia where you can admire and dive the famous Great Barrier Reef.
II] Great Barrier Reef at a glance
II] Great Barrier Reef at a glance
If you judge by yourself according to the following numbers, you cannot be wrong by travelling to the Great Barrier Reef that can be seen from the moon. The Great Barrier Reef, world's largest reef system, a UNESCO World Heritage-Listed, is a group of not less than 2900 individual reefs - comprises of 3 types of reefs such as platform, ribbon or fringing reefs - and around 300 coral cays. Its ecosystem supports the greatest concentration of life on the planet. Stretching for around 2,700 kilometers over an area of 344,400 square kilometers the Great Barrier Reef is rich of more than 30 species of marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and dugongs, 6 species of marine turtles, all listed as threatened. All this life is possible thanks to the huge number of species of hard and soft corals built with the help of tiny masses of coral polyps. Unfortunately, these vital animals are in great danger and the coral has been destroyed in the recent years due to climate change, pollutants, coral bleaching and especially by a pest known as the Crown of Thorns Seastar, a marine organism that eats coral polyps.
III] Diving the Great Barrier Reef
III] Diving the Great Barrier Reef
Most of the sites are quite far from Cairns and you need to travel at least 50km. So it is highly advised to book a liveaboard to be able to really enjoy your trip. The number of days onboard according to your budget will drive the number of dive sites to be visited.
If we had to choose for a short stay, we have selected 3 dive spots and 2 wrecks for you.
III.1] Recommended dives spots on the Great Barrier Reef
The Knuckle Reef Lagoon is on the Whitsunday Islands is also called the reef haven. For all level of divers and snorkelers, you will find a huge diversity of marine life lives in this area: colorful corals, mauri wrasse, trouts, cods and manta rays are just to name few.
Heron Island is well known as the snorkel paradise. But you can dive as well to discover the fantastic diversity. You will observe from the big manta rays or sea turtles to the small with nudibranchs. At low tide, you can walk to the island without having to swim.
Osprey reef known as well as Coral Sea is at the Tropical North of Queensland
III.1] Recommended dives spots on the Great Barrier Reef
The Knuckle Reef Lagoon is on the Whitsunday Islands is also called the reef haven. For all level of divers and snorkelers, you will find a huge diversity of marine life lives in this area: colorful corals, mauri wrasse, trouts, cods and manta rays are just to name few.
Heron Island is well known as the snorkel paradise. But you can dive as well to discover the fantastic diversity. You will observe from the big manta rays or sea turtles to the small with nudibranchs. At low tide, you can walk to the island without having to swim.
Osprey reef known as well as Coral Sea is at the Tropical North of Queensland
For us in this part of the world, including Asia, it is probably the most exhilarating spot for scuba diving because you have everything here. From diverse species of sharks all year round to pristine soft coral unlike anything you have ever seen before.
At North Horn site, with minimum risk you will be able to observe the silvertip and grey reef shark, giant potato cod, morays, dogthooth tuna and many smaller species (octopus, nautilus) together with the famous white tip reef sharks.
On the Western wall you will take your special lens to shot the big soft coral trees.
III.2] Recommended Wreck Diving around Cairns
At North Horn site, with minimum risk you will be able to observe the silvertip and grey reef shark, giant potato cod, morays, dogthooth tuna and many smaller species (octopus, nautilus) together with the famous white tip reef sharks.
On the Western wall you will take your special lens to shot the big soft coral trees.
III.2] Recommended Wreck Diving around Cairns
There are more than 1200 registered shipwrecks only in Queensland!! Enough to make you busy for your all life. But amongst them two must be visited.
1. SS Yongala
Often mentioned as the diving's Seven Wonders of the World the name of this wreck, with a size of over 100 meters, comes from an aboriginal word to be pronounced 'Yonggluh' meaning "broad water". Actually the meaning reflects the fact that this area has strong currents. That's why this dive is recommended for advanced divers.
During a cyclone she sank nearly 100 years ago and lies on its starboard side in 30 meters of water on a sandy bottom.
The combination of strong currents and being the only wreck around (this is considered as artificial reef) gives a perfect opportunity for underwater life to explode such as sharks, whales or turtles.
2. Lady Bowen
This 70 meters four-masted schooner sunk on Kennedy Shoal, off Dunk Island on August, 1894 and is lying upright in 34 m of water with the hull still clearly visible. Exactly like the SS Yongala, this wreck is an artificial reef providing a perfect home for the growth of hard and soft corals together with multitude of marine life including giant groupers, lionfish, sea snakes, turtles, sharks and huge rays.
We recommend this dive for experienced or advanced divers.
IV] When coming to Cairns and diving the Great Diving Barrier Reef
1. SS Yongala
Often mentioned as the diving's Seven Wonders of the World the name of this wreck, with a size of over 100 meters, comes from an aboriginal word to be pronounced 'Yonggluh' meaning "broad water". Actually the meaning reflects the fact that this area has strong currents. That's why this dive is recommended for advanced divers.
During a cyclone she sank nearly 100 years ago and lies on its starboard side in 30 meters of water on a sandy bottom.
The combination of strong currents and being the only wreck around (this is considered as artificial reef) gives a perfect opportunity for underwater life to explode such as sharks, whales or turtles.
2. Lady Bowen
This 70 meters four-masted schooner sunk on Kennedy Shoal, off Dunk Island on August, 1894 and is lying upright in 34 m of water with the hull still clearly visible. Exactly like the SS Yongala, this wreck is an artificial reef providing a perfect home for the growth of hard and soft corals together with multitude of marine life including giant groupers, lionfish, sea snakes, turtles, sharks and huge rays.
We recommend this dive for experienced or advanced divers.
IV] When coming to Cairns and diving the Great Diving Barrier Reef
Basically you can dive in Australia all year long but you have better opportunity during specific months. For example second part of August to early December yields the best Great Barrier Reef diving conditions. Specifically we recommend between June and September for the best visibility in the Coral Sea at Osprey Reef and North Horn.
If you want to spot and play with the Minke Whale you will have more luck between June and August.
Having said so, you should keep in mind that the temperature has a great range during the year. It goes from 18 - 33C. However, on the Great Barrier Reef the temperature is more or less always close to the max of the range (28 to 30C) with a minimum at 21C between June and August (winter months).
In normal condition, it is usual to have 30 meters visibility reaching sometimes over 40 meters. Visibility drops a lot during the rainy season usually from December to March. However, between January and March, the rains are more like rain patches and this is the best season to dive because there is almost no wind.
WorldDivingReview.
If you want to spot and play with the Minke Whale you will have more luck between June and August.
Having said so, you should keep in mind that the temperature has a great range during the year. It goes from 18 - 33C. However, on the Great Barrier Reef the temperature is more or less always close to the max of the range (28 to 30C) with a minimum at 21C between June and August (winter months).
In normal condition, it is usual to have 30 meters visibility reaching sometimes over 40 meters. Visibility drops a lot during the rainy season usually from December to March. However, between January and March, the rains are more like rain patches and this is the best season to dive because there is almost no wind.
WorldDivingReview.
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