Cape Tribulation - the end of the road

We traveled as far north as the pavement goes north in the Daintree National Park - to Cape Tribulation.  The road continues but is four wheel drive only mud and gravel road that is frequently unpassable.  Cape Tribulation is famous for the beaching of Captain Cook's ship after he ran aground on the coral reef during his first visit to Australia.

Going Walkabout in the Daintree

We were able to get out into the forrest in the Daintree and see some of the flora and fauna.  The Aboriginal People of Australia still live in this ancient forrest and utilize some of the plants and animals the same way of their ancestors.
http://www.tropicaltours.com.au/

Daintree National Park, Queensland Australia

Walu Wugirriga Range north of the Daintree River in the Daintree National Park - views of where the Daintree River meets the ocean.  And the Australia "chicken".  The Daintree is the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage Sights meet - the Daintree National Park and the Great Barrier Reef National Park.

Daintree River Cruise

 

my video of the cruise:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVUs5oYQOEY&feature=plcp

We took a river cruise on the Daintree River in Northern Queensland, Australia.  A stop for tea and biscuits before boarding the boat.  The crocs were enormous!  But the babies were kind of cute - see the little guy hanging out on the branch of the Mangrove tree.  We later crossed the Daintree River on the ferry on our return trip.

Mossman Gorge, Daintree NP, Queenland Australia

One of the oldest unchanged places in the world is the Rainforest of Queensland Australia.  We spent the day with Tony's Tropical Tours exploring the Daintree National Park in Northern Queensland.  Our first stop of the day was at Mossman Gorge.

Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

Sites around the town of Port Douglas in Northern Queensland, Australia.  Port Douglas is one of the most important gateways to the Great Barrier Reef.  However, no boats were going to the reef on this day - a huge rainstorm had caused both the roads to Cairnes to close - the coastal road because of a landslide and the inland road because of flooding.  We were so glad we had gone to Lizard Island to dive the reef.  If we had been relying on a one day trip by boat - like several people we met on the ship - then we would have missed the Reef entirely!!

Thala Beach Scenes, Queensland Australia

Thala Beach at the Thala Beach Resort was a wonderful place to see part of the famous 4-mile beach at Port Douglas, Australia.  Plenty of hammocks, chairs and even a colorful beach house bar are part of the amenities of the resort - however the incoming storm kept guests away from the beach.  Our room was also a tree house type one room bungalow with a nice wonderful view of the beach

Thala Beach Lodge, Port Douglas, Australia

Thala Beach Lodge just outside of Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia is our home for several nights as we are visiting in Northern Queensland.  This resort is at Thala Point overlooking the Pacific Ocean and is an eco-friendly resort.  The main lodge is like a giant tree house with the open air dining room upstairs.  The pool and waterfall is so inviting after a hot day of sightseeing.

http://www.thalabeach.com.au/

Cod Hole Dive, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Giant Potato Cod at Code Hole on the Great Barrier Reef:

 

 

Scuba Diving at the Great Barrier Reef at Ribbon Reef 10 at the very famous Cod Hole . This is why I took scuba diving lessons - to see the Clown (Finding Nemo) fish and to see the giant cod. The Reef is spectactular - virtual canyons of coral in every color imaginable with so many beautiful fish!! Such a fantastic experience! Thanks to the fantastic staff at Lizard Island Resort for making our dive so enjoyable!! The weather was just horrible the day of this dive - a northerly was coming in from a Cyclone Lua - the rain was pouring and visibility was not great - but once we were in the water - the sights were amazing!

 

The color of this star fish is the most amazing blue!

Video the same dive from Lizard Island to Cod Hole - seeing lots of potato cod as well as a few sharks  -( I borrowed from youtube):

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0MZj89mxRY&feature=plcp

Cod Hole

The Cod Hole is one of the best known dive sites on the Great Barrier Reef and is still a firm favourite amongst Australian liveaboards. Giant potato cod, used to divemasters bringing tasty treats to them for at least the last 2 decades, are extremely diver friendly and seem more than happy to pose for your photographs. Although not very PC, a diver-sized fish right next to your face makes for an excellent photo opportunity.



There are 3 permanent moorings at Cod Hole and you will drop into the water, descending down a line to about 15m depth. You can start the dive looking for the elusive, lacey scorpionfish on some of the coral heads below the boat. After this you will proceed north east along a series of long narrow coral ridges, known locally as the Supermarket Aisles.

Around 32 metres depth you can find gorgonians playing host to some delightful pygmy seahorses. After exploring the Supermarket Aisles you will find yourself in a large sandy area where sharks and other pelagics aggregate, since this part of the Great Barrier Reef is open to the ocean. The effects of waves and currents mean this section of Cod Hole has plenty of caverns and swim-throughs to keep you entertained.

Moving back onto the reef will bring you into contact with many varieties of sweetlips including harlequin, diagonal-banded, as well as trumpetfish and flutemouths. Dash-dot goatfish rummage with their barbels in the sand as you make you way to the flat lagoon in 6 to 10 metres. Here you can have fun spotting nudibranchs and gobies as you drain your tank on the exploratory dive.

Cod Hole is naturally a dive site which is home to large potato cod (Queensland grouper). They can be up to 2 metres in length and have large powerful bodies. Cairns dive operators need a fish feeding licence to undertake the cod feed and these are only given to 'Advanced Eco-tourism' operators who have to undertake other reef health monitoring activities in return. Unlike, Osprey Reef this is part of the GBRMPA so everything is regulated, from the participants to the amount of food, to the steps of the process.

The cod associate the sound of the liveaboard engines with food and it's normal to have a few fish of up to 60 kg waiting for the snacks they know the dive guides bring. A bit of a frenzy ensues as the groupers barrel in to make sure that they get their share of the bounty. Even divers that do not have food on them will find the more experienced cod nudging them in the hope of a secret stash in BCD pockets.

It's not just the groupers though that go onto a mini feeding frenzy. You can expect to see coral trout, sweetlips, triggerfish and trevally all try and get in on the action at Cod Hole. Although the cod-feed is the main reason for visiting the site, it's not to say that it does not have other attractions. The sandy bottom has the occasional giant clam that can grow to almost 2m, and the bommies themselves are home to a rich diversity of marine life and colorful corals.

If your bottom time permits it, it is worth heading north a little to Shark Alley. Although not guaranteed, over the years this has been an excellent place to spot cruising white tips plus the odd Maori wrasse.

With the opportunity to get rubbed up by cod big enough to ride home on and coming face to face with a host of other usually shy and unapproachable fish, Cod Hole definitely lives up to its reputation. It warrants a serious visit, without which no Australia scuba diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef is complete.

Normally you will dive this site as a normal dive first, before then joining in the feed that brings in the big star of the show (although not all the Cairns liveaboards conduct feeds).

Cod Hole Reef Basics: Potato grouper feeding
Depth: 10 - 30m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: None - gentle
Surface conditions: Usually calm
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round
http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-australia-great-barrier-reef-ribbon-reefs-cod-hole.php

Diving on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Our first dive on the Great Barrier Reef diving just off Lizard Island on Ribbon Reef 10.  The dive was amazing - the coral has amazing colors and the fish are so plentiful and colorful!    My camera just doesn't do justice to the colors - however anaother one of the divers had an HD underwater camera.  Big difference.  The giant clams are the most incredible blue.

But words cannot describe this experience!  I had starting working toward becoming a scuba diver for many months just so I could see the coral and the fish on the Reef.  This is one of the most exciting and challenging thing things I have ever done.

Lizard Island on The Great Barrier Reef

We really enjoyed our stay at Lizard Island.  We had our own bungalow with a marvelous view of the harbor.  The restaurant provided extraordinary tasty and creative menus with Australian wine pairings - so the food was great!  But - we came for the water sports!  This location provided perfect access to diving on the reef.  Since the major dive sights on the reef as so far off shore the only options for divers is to stay on a live aboard ship or take a day trip (sea sick?).  The live aboard was too intense for a new diver and the short stay for the day trip simply does not allow the time to see the reef.  So we splurged and went to Lizard Island.  Actually - a storm moved throuh while we were at the Great Barrier Reef and all the shore trips were cancelled - so we lucked out to be able to enjoy our dives!

Video tour of the resort  - link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7EtsezLpw  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7EtsezLpw

http://www.lizardisland.com.au/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=lizard%20island&utm_campaign=Lizard+Island