Best time of year to visit/dive Australia?

[DougK]

I am starting to do a little long range planning for a visit to Australia. I would like some input as to the best time to visit? Diving the Great Barrier will be one of many things I hope to do while there. Are there any diving seasons? Best shoulder seasons to visit? Anything time specific, animal migrations, etc., to factor in?

This will not be a primary diving trip, it will be just one facet of the trip, but an important one. So I will not be diving everyday or doing a live aboard.

Any general thoughts on best time for a trip such as this?

Two other general questions: how deep is the average dive on the Reef? Is it deep enough Advance Certification is required?

And what is a general water temp guide for the ocean in this area of Australia? Warm, cool, cold? Wet suite thickness needed?

Any input appreciated.

 

[Steve1_Davis]

Hi Doug,
Broad question there, depends on what you like. I live on the Barrier Reef, you can dive it all year round. Current water temp for winter is 23 degrees C. Summer is about 28. Most reef is less than 30 metres deep, some as shallow as 3m. Yesterday I dived the Yongala wreck (Google it) one of the world's best wreck dives apparently and absolutely packed with marine life from little critters up to large groupers. Visibiltity was about 15m. I wore a 3mm wetsuit but would have been more comfortable in a 5mm. Advanced Cert would be recommended so as not to restrict your choices here (and what better place to do the course?) In Winter here we have humpback whales migrating along the coast as well as manta rays. Further north minke whales in some places... If you are intending to dive further south then summer would be the time to do it.