Where to dive in QLD, Australia

Hi everyone,

I'll be leaving for a 6 month trip (semester) in Townsville, QLD, and I haven't got a big list of dive spots yet.

I'm definitely planning on doing a liveaboard to Osprey reef. as I'm a big fan of pelagics and hear there are a ton up there.

If anyone has any suggestions for good dive sites in QLD, send them my way!

I also want to go to Fiji and maybe Indonesia (Raja Ampat?), so advice on those areas is also appreciated.

Cheers,

Josh

G'Day Josh,

Mate you wil have some of the best diving right on your door step. You have the Yongala Wreck. Undisputed the best wreck dive in Australia and being in the top 10 wreck dives in the world. It is a must do and see dive. I am positive you will be diving it regularly. The coral sea is right out from Townsville as well Flinders Reef is its main attraction. There are live aboard vessels departing from Townsville to dive this great location.

Don't be she to do some fresh water dives. Like up at Big Crstal Creek, just north of Townsville. Note that there is some very large crocodiles in north Queensland and you best seek advise before you jump into any water!!

Cairns is only 4 hours drive north and there is a bunch more reefs to hit there. But I am sure that you will have plenty to see diving the GBR, Coral Sea/ & Yongala Wreck from Townsville alone.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Terry

Ex Mike Ball Dive Expeditions Photo/Video Pro- based out of Townsville 1992-1994, 1997-2000

Hi Josh

I had a great time with these guys and went from Cairns to the Coral Sea. It's a long way and they only make a few trips a season. But it was worth the 16hr journey to be the only boat for a week and exploring some new reefs. Awesome viz as far as you can see, reef tops at 10m and then walls to over 1500m, schooling fish everywhere and more sharks than I could poke a stick at. It is one of the many places I have been diving and one of the few I would return to.

http://www.explorerventures.com/nimexp/index.html

Hi Josh

 

I had a great time with these guys and went from Cairns to the Coral Sea. It's a long way and they only make a few trips a season. But it was worth the 16hr journey to be the only boat for a week and exploring some new reefs. Awesome viz as far as you can see, reef tops at 10m and then walls to over 1500m, schooling fish everywhere and more sharks than I could poke a stick at. It is one of the many places I have been diving and one of the few I would return to.

 

http://www.explorerventures.com/nimexp/index.html

I Concur with ScubaSpen, I also traveled with Explorer Ventures on there vessel Nimrod Explorer in March 08. Great crew, Great Meals, and exceptional diving. But you also have some of the best diving right on your doorstep in Townsville and I have seen Flinders and Osprey, both are equal in my mind for diversity, and visability.

Cheers!

Josh,

As someone that lives in Queensland and has dived most parts of the state here is a list of the best dive sites.

Townsville - Yongala and Flinders Reef.

Cairns/Port Douglas - Ribbon Reefs, Osprey Reef and Far Northern Reefs.

These are the areas closest to you and offer wonderful diving. But for big stuff - manta rays, turtles, leopard sharks and wobbies the southern GBR is best and also the southern part of the state.

Gladstone - Heron Island

Bundaberg - Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island or a liveaboard trip to the Bunker Group.

Sunshine Coast - HMAS Brisbane - ex destroyer now amazing artificial reef.

Brisbane - Great dive sites off Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island - from grey nurse sharks in winter to manta rays and leopard sharks in summer time.

There are a number of articles on my website that cover most of these sites - www.nigelmarshphotography.com

Hope this helps.

Regards

Nigel

I'll just add Lizard Island to the list

Josh,

I could be wrong but I believe that shore diving is pretty ordinary in Far North Queensland and most of the sites worth diving are going to be a pretty long boat trip. This means you'll have to book your dive trips rather than just being able to do a dive when you feel like it.

This site has some pretty good information on sites: http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewp...p?page_id=3#qld

For Osprey Reef, you should also consider http://www.undersea.com.au/ I'm off on my 6th trip with them in 3 weeks time and have thoroughly enjoyed every trip.

I have also dived:

* Tryon Island (a deserted island near Heron)

* Lady Elliot Island

* North Stradbroke Island

All are good.

Hi guys,

Thanks a ton for all the replies, I've heard some great things about almost all the sites you mentioned and this all definitely reinforced that.

Very excited about Yongala, and Osprey Reef is very very high on my list if I can make it out on a liveaboard a bit later in the season. I just recently got my divemaster cert and I've been talking to the JCU Dive club about working for them, which they thought was pretty likely. Reef Check has got an operation here in Townsville as well, so there's a chance I'll be doing some work with them as well which I'm pretty excited about.

Are box jellies an issue out on the reef, or mainly just on the beaches?

I'll let ya know how it goes.

Cheers,

Josh

Hi Josh,

Congrats on your DM cert!!! Mate I wouldn't worry about the Box Jellies, they are out and about from the months of November through to May. Sometimes depending on the year they might make an earlier or later appearance. But they are strictly found in the coastal waters where most of their food can be found (i.e. less than +/- 10 miles from shore). The GBR is typically a long way off shore and the Bx Jellies do not venture out that far as a whole, though I am sure someone here might/ will say that they have seen them out on the reef but I would hazard a guess that they were seen on the reefs closest to the coastline.

Enjoy your diving mate!

cheers!

Josh,

As has been posted, you'll rarely encounter box jellyfish on the reef and only during Summer and Autumn. Just be aware of Irukandji which does get a bit further afield and apparently isn't limited to Summer/Autumn.

Hey Josh

Enjoy! I always thought I was a really good sailor till I went out to Osprey on the MV Tarka during a 5-day liveaboard trip. It was the worst boat journey I have had in my life: throwing-up for 10 hours during the extremely rough transit from the outer reef to Osprey. I'd like to say the diving was worth it. However..........

Hey Josh

 

Enjoy! I always thought I was a really good sailor till I went out to Osprey on the MV Tarka during a 5-day liveaboard trip. It was the worst boat journey I have had in my life: throwing-up for 10 hours during the extremely rough transit from the outer reef to Osprey. I'd like to say the diving was worth it. However..........

Oy! Sounds like one hell of a trip. I've heard the pelagic life out on Osprey is incredible, what did you find? Still not worth it? Sorry to say I haven't got the funds to go on 10 liveaboards while I'm here - as much as I'd like to.. it'll probably be no more than 1 big one (Raja Ampat I hope!) and hopefully 1 shorter one - so I'm hoping to pick wisely. Have you got one you'd recommend over Osprey?

Thanks for the jelly info guys - I'd heard similar things so honestly I'm not all that worried, just thought I'd get some more opinions.

Cheers,

Josh

Oy! Sounds like one hell of a trip. I've heard the pelagic life out on Osprey is incredible, what did you find? Still not worth it? Sorry to say I haven't got the funds to go on 10 liveaboards while I'm here - as much as I'd like to.. it'll probably be no more than 1 big one (Raja Ampat I hope!) and hopefully 1 shorter one - so I'm hoping to pick wisely. Have you got one you'd recommend over Osprey?

 

Thanks for the jelly info guys - I'd heard similar things so honestly I'm not all that worried, just thought I'd get some more opinions.

 

Cheers,

Josh

As many have said Yongala is a must (still one of my favorite dives I have ever done). If you are going to take one big trip while you are there, you may want to think about PNG

Mike

Yeh the Yongala is pretty cool...if you get it on a good day... look out.

I dived it 30 times last year.

Josh,

Agree with Wags and a night dive on the Yongala is definitely world class in my book!

Steve

Oy! Sounds like one hell of a trip. I've heard the pelagic life out on Osprey is incredible, what did you find? Still not worth it? Sorry to say I haven't got the funds to go on 10 liveaboards while I'm here - as much as I'd like to.. it'll probably be no more than 1 big one (Raja Ampat I hope!) and hopefully 1 shorter one - so I'm hoping to pick wisely. Have you got one you'd recommend over Osprey?

 

Thanks for the jelly info guys - I'd heard similar things so honestly I'm not all that worried, just thought I'd get some more opinions.

 

Cheers,

Josh

Hey Josh and Curious George

I couldn't honestly say that the pelagics on Osprey approached incredible. We did a shark feed dive which was interesting - but I don't recall anything really exciting turning up; and saw the much-advertised potato cods which the DMs also fed. My log books are on a ship (I hope) somewhere between Australia and the UK so I can't give you details for another few weeks. My recollection though is that the dives were "ok". Nothing special.

I've heard Yongala is good - but havn't done it. Jervis Bay is good for a few days diving. Leander Wiseman can tell you more. Fun diving I'm told around Sydney spotting weedy sea dragons. I liked the diving at Morea in French Polynesia - LOTS of sharks there - but its an expensive place and still quite a way to go from Aus. Folks tell me too that Raja Ampat is the place to go. Ningaloo out in WA is good for seeing whale sharks but, again, quite a journey.

Hey Josh and Curious George

 

I couldn't honestly say that the pelagics on Osprey approached incredible. We did a shark feed dive which was interesting - but I don't recall anything really exciting turning up; and saw the much-advertised potato cods which the DMs also fed. My log books are on a ship (I hope) somewhere between Australia and the UK so I can't give you details for another few weeks. My recollection though is that the dives were "ok". Nothing special.

 

I've heard Yongala is good - but havn't done it. Jervis Bay is good for a few days diving. Leander Wiseman can tell you more. Fun diving I'm told around Sydney spotting weedy sea dragons. I liked the diving at Morea in French Polynesia - LOTS of sharks there - but its an expensive place and still quite a way to go from Aus. Folks tell me too that Raja Ampat is the place to go. Ningaloo out in WA is good for seeing whale sharks but, again, quite a journey.

Well I'm sold, after everything I've heard about Raja Ampat I think that's gonna be the next stop for me. That being said, I may as well just ask all you folks what you think! I'll start up another thread as well, but for those of you checking this one I'd love to get your input.

I'm thinking liveaboards, rather than dive resorts, so if you guys have any operators that you've had good experiences with, let me know! Also, I found two websites: save-money-diving.com and divetheworldliveaboards.com. I've read on some forums that save-money-diving.com is reliable, but haven't seen anything about the second website, and I'm not sure if I trust it! Anyone had experiences with either of the two?

And of course, what are your favorite spots! I love big pelagics, and do a lot of underwater video, so have you got any favorite places for photo (video) - ops?

Thanks a lot guys.

Cheers,

Josh

P.S. I'm doing a liveaboard on Yongala in late August (subsidized by the James Cook Uni. Dive Club!)