Part IV: Brisbane, Queensland, and the Great Barrier Reef in VS .NET

Generation UPC Symbol in VS .NET Part IV: Brisbane, Queensland, and the Great Barrier Reef

For divers, experts recommend Steve s Bommie and Dynamite Pass Steve s Bommie is a coral outcrop in 30m (98 ft) of water, topped with barracudas, and covered in colorful coral and small marine life You can swim through a tunnel here amid crowds of fish Dynamite Pass is a channel where barracuda, trevally, grouper, mackerel, and tuna gather to feed in the current Black coral trees and sea whips grow on the walls, patrolled by eagle rays and reef sharks The most famous dive site in Cairns is Cod Hole, where you can hand-feed giant potato cod as big as you are, or bigger The site also has Maori wrasse, moray eels, and coral trout Cod Hole is about 20km (13 miles) off Lizard Island, 240km (149 miles) north of Cairns, so it isn t a day trip unless you re staying at exclusive Lizard Island However, it s a popular stop with just about every liveaboard vessel, often combined in a trip to the Ribbon Reefs lasting about four days, or in a trip to the Coral Sea lasting between four and seven days Either itinerary makes an excellent dive vacation Divers looking for adventure in far-flung latitudes can visit the Far Northern region of the Great Barrier Reef, much farther north than most dive boats venture Up in this large region you ll find a wide choice of good sites, little explored by the average diver Visibility is always clear Silvertip City on Mantis Reef has sharks, pelagics, potato cod, and beautiful lion fish that patrol a wall up to 46m (150 ft) deep Another goodie is the Magic Cave swim-through adorned with lots of colorful fans, soft corals, and small reef fish Sleeping turtles are often spotted in caves on the reefs off Raine Island, the world s biggest green turtle rookery Visibility averages 24m (80 ft) at Rainbow Wall, a colorful wall that makes a nice gentle drift dive with the incoming tide Some 100km to 200km (63 126 miles) east of Cairns, out in the Coral Sea, isolated mountains covered in reefs rise more than a kilometer (1 2 mile) from the ocean floor to make excellent diving Although not within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the Coral Sea is often combined into an extended live-aboard trip that also takes in Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs The whole trip usually takes four to seven days The most popular site is Osprey Reef, a 100-sq-km (39-sq-mile) reef with 1,000m (3,300-ft) drop-offs, renowned for its year-round visibility of up to 70m (230 ft) The highlight of most Osprey Reef itineraries is a shark feeding session White-tip reef sharks are common, but the area is also home to gray reef sharks, silvertips, and hammerheads Green turtles, tuna, barracuda, potato cod, mantas, and grouper are also common Closer to shore, Cairns has several coral cays and reef-fringed islands within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Less than an hour from the city, Green Island is a 15-hectare (37-acre) coral cay with snorkeling equal to that on the Great Barrier Reef It s also a popular diving spot You can visit it in half a day

The Frankland Islands are a pristine group of uninhabited rainforested isles edged with sandy beaches, reefs, and fish 45km (28 miles) south of Cairns The islands are a rookery for green sea turtles, which snorkelers and divers often spot in the water In February and March, you may even see dozens of baby turtles hatching in the sand Michaelmas Cay and Upolu Cay are two pretty coral sand blips in the ocean, 30km (19 miles) and 25km (16 miles) off Cairns, surrounded by reefs Michaelmas is vegetated and is home to 27,000 seabirds; you may spot dugongs (manatees) off Upolu