Reef Health on GBR

[GlobalDivers]

Hi everyone,
I'm planning a trip to the GBR and am wondering about the health of the reef and would like some advice on the best possible sites. I'll be going in August and am considering:

1. Cod hole or Coral sea - Cod hole and ribbon reefs for Minke whales but is the coral sea in better shape?
2. Port Douglas day trips -- maps show lots of bleaching but I was trying to avoid the crowds off Cairns
3. Cairns - anyone been on OceanQuest? It looks like it might avoid most of the crowds since it goes to Hastings, Norman and Saxon Reefs rather than the typical dive boats.
4. Diving off Townsville -- is the reef in better shape than the above sites.

I would love some advice as the last time I dove the GBR, it was 20 years ago.

 

[chris kippax]

In my opinion there is only a few ways to see the true quality of the GBR. Day boats out of Cairns/Port Douglas are not the answer.
Mike ball spoilsport, The spirit of freedom, Lady Elliott Island and Heron Island. Check out Lorenzo Ballerin on the web or Instagram for photos of reef health.

 

[Mike1967]

This might be of interest to you

Recommendations for the GBR in Feb?

 

[Divectionist]

Probably best to go on a 2-3 night cruise and see the far flung spots.

I've been to Hastings, Norman, Saxon in December (Tusa T6) and it was fine, but nothing compared to a liveaboard trip I did years ago, unfortunately I don't remember the locations (I did keep a log book back then but it's likely in a drawer about 17,000km away right now).

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Out of Cairns for an overnight trip look at Reef Encounter or Ocean Quest. Decent sites, and really nice boats. They avoid damaged site as much as possible

Don't worry about day trips unless you are short of time. If you want a day trip then look at Aquaquest out of Port Douglas as its again has some good sites and I hardly saw any bleaching there a few months ago.

Best trips are going to be Mike Ball or Spirit of Freedom that go far north and visit the Ribbon Reefs and Coral Sea. Book out months in advance though and especially during Minke migration season (June to Sept) its already looking full.

If you are flexible and can travel in July then I suggest look at Ocean Quest as they run a combination of Ribbon Reef (to see the whales) and Outer Reef. Depart Fridays for 4 days and a bit better value. Only during June and July though.

Not a lot out of Townsville. Adrenalin dive run an average overnight boat to places like Wheeler Reef and the diving is not bad, but if you want something different look at Remote Area Dive in Townsville as they run special trips to wrecks, over seas etc.

 

[GlobalDivers]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I've booked a liveaboard on Spoilsport.

 

[Jay]

a couple of recent news articles:

Baby coral numbers on the Great Barrier Reef plummet by almost 90 per cent

Coral bleaching has now damaged the southernmost reef in the world