Coral Sea

Pat Payne wrote:
> Who can tell me about the Coral Sea as a dive spot? Any info would be appreciated.

Fantastic diving, except it's not easily accessible unless you're
an Aussie near Cairns.

http://www.barrier-reef-holidays.com/reefliveaboard.htm

http://www.diversionoz.com/en/underseaexplorer.htm

You might want to consider purchasing this video to get a good look
of what to expect in the Coral Sea.

"Coral Sea Dreaming" with great music and video, made by David Hannan.
Email: orders@wildreleasing.com.au

Wild Releasing Pty Ltd
133 Dowling St., Woolloomooloo
N.S.W. 2011 Australia

Watching the video may be better than DIVING there.
I wasn't impressed at all by the Cod Hole or the GBR
when I dived there in 2002. The IMAX films and videos
looked much better.

-- Bob.

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 11:43:18 -0700, Pat Payne wrote:

> Who can tell me about the Coral Sea as a dive spot? Any info would be
> appreciated.

I dived Holmes Reef a few years ago now. Was supposed to do Osprey 3 years
ago, but the weather meant we had to stay on the GBR instead.

Trip report for the Holmes trip on my website.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Australian trip reports including
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia

In article <1124573872.675341.173760@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com (Reef Fish) wrote:

>
> Fantastic diving, except it's not easily accessible unless you're
> an Aussie near Cairns.

Thats exactly right, Its not a day boat dive, its a live aboard trip, the
weather can be as bad as it is good with choppy seas.

> Watching the video may be better than DIVING there.
> I wasn't impressed at all by the Cod Hole or the GBR
> when I dived there in 2002. The IMAX films and videos
> looked much better.

The Cod Hole is on the Ribbon Reefs not the Coral Sea, and is near to
Lizard Island, The vis was quite poor but the Cod were enormous, i have a
great shot of my wife side by side with one of these giants.

We started our Great Barrier Reef live aboard trip from Lizard Island on
Nimrod Explorer, we flew from Cairns about 40 minutes in a 8 seater plane
up to Lizard Island.

We were also disappointed with the Barrier Reef, it is stunning from the
air but for us, not so beneath the waves.

If you want Oz dive info then check out www.diversionoz.com
Very good company, based in Redlynch just north of Cairns.
Dave Morgan @ Work in the UK
Take out the "goes diving" bit....
Trip photos on line at www.morg.co.uk

morgand@cix.compulink.co.uk wrote:
> In article <1124573872.675341.173760@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
> Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com (Reef Fish) wrote:
>
> >
> > Fantastic diving, except it's not easily accessible unless you're
> > an Aussie near Cairns.
>
> Thats exactly right, Its not a day boat dive, its a live aboard trip, the
> weather can be as bad as it is good with choppy seas.
>
> > Watching the video may be better than DIVING there.
> > I wasn't impressed at all by the Cod Hole or the GBR
> > when I dived there in 2002. The IMAX films and videos
> > looked much better.
>
> The Cod Hole is on the Ribbon Reefs not the Coral Sea, and is near to
> Lizard Island,

I was referring to those itineraries on the web links I showed,
which included the Cod Hole, Coral Sea, AND the GBR.

When I dived the Taca from Cairns, we went to the Cod Hole and
part of the GBR. Granted 2002 was an exceptionally bad year
because of the coral bleaching by nature, but the vis of the
GBR is never very "good" using my yardstick of 100 feet vis
as "good".


> The vis was quite poor but the Cod were enormous, i have a
> great shot of my wife side by side with one of these giants.

UW magnification and optical illusion. I have several of
such pictures. I also have a picture of a Napoleon Wrasee at
Moorea that LOOKED three time my size.

Those Gropers are no bigger than their cousins (and mine) the
Jew fish found in the Caribbean.

>
> We started our Great Barrier Reef live aboard trip from Lizard Island on
> Nimrod Explorer, we flew from Cairns about 40 minutes in a 8 seater plane
> up to Lizard Island.
>
> We were also disappointed with the Barrier Reef, it is stunning from the
> air but for us, not so beneath the waves.

My sentiments exactly. I am sure there are parts of the 4,000 mile
Reef that are better than the GBR at that region. But I suspect I
would have seen it in films somewhere. In short, in terms of marine
life, the GBR is unexcelled -- hell, 4,000 miles of Pacific marine
life is nothing to sneeze at. But in terms of diving at any of its
famed locations, it's my opinion that they are greately over-rated.

-- Bob.
>
> If you want Oz dive info then check out www.diversionoz.com
> Very good company, based in Redlynch just north of Cairns.
> Dave Morgan @ Work in the UK
> Take out the "goes diving" bit....
> Trip photos on line at www.morg.co.uk

On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:50:10 -0700, Reef Fish wrote:

> When I dived the Taca from Cairns, we went to the Cod Hole and part of the
> GBR. Granted 2002 was an exceptionally bad year because of the coral
> bleaching by nature, but the vis of the GBR is never very "good" using my
> yardstick of 100 feet vis as "good".

I had about 100 feet viz on the northern reefs when I did that trip. The
reefs nearer to Port Douglas and further south had crap viz on them. But
the section down by Airlie Beach was alright too. Tempting to blame the
cane field run off. Doing the southern most bit later this year. See how
that is.

There used to be a company that gave you your money back in you got less
than 100 feet viz on Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea. Of course, if the
weather was bad, then they couldn't get out there, but I remember being at
50m (was diving with an Italian) and being able to see the ripples on the
surface at the top of a sheer wall.

> Those Gropers are no bigger than their cousins (and mine) the Jew fish
> found in the Caribbean.

The Queensland grouper, however, can get huge. Never seen anything bigger
than them. They can get a lot bigger than the potato cod.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Australian trip reports including
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia

Jason wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:50:10 -0700, Reef Fish wrote:
>
> > When I dived the Taca from Cairns, we went to the Cod Hole and part of the
> > GBR. Granted 2002 was an exceptionally bad year because of the coral
> > bleaching by nature, but the vis of the GBR is never very "good" using my
> > yardstick of 100 feet vis as "good".
>
> I had about 100 feet viz on the northern reefs when I did that trip. The
> reefs nearer to Port Douglas and further south had crap viz on them. But
> the section down by Airlie Beach was alright too. Tempting to blame the
> cane field run off. Doing the southern most bit later this year. See how
> that is.
>
> There used to be a company that gave you your money back in you got less
> than 100 feet viz on Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea. Of course, if the
> weather was bad, then they couldn't get out there, but I remember being at
> 50m (was diving with an Italian) and being able to see the ripples on the
> surface at the top of a sheer wall.
>
> > Those Gropers are no bigger than their cousins (and mine) the Jew fish
> > found in the Caribbean.
>
> The Queensland grouper, however, can get huge. Never seen anything bigger
> than them. They can get a lot bigger than the potato cod.

>From the Taka webpage:

http://www.diversden.com.au/taka.htm

*> The potato Cods grow to a massive 600 pounds

The ones you see in the Cod Hole seldom weigh half that size. They
are members of Genus: Epinephelus.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_grouper

#> The Goliath Grouper (Jewfish) <name change in 2001>

#> The goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara) is a
#> large saltwater fish of the grouper family.

#> they may reach extremely large size (record 680 lbs (309 kg),

But that's like Gibby Gilligan, a 9 feet 1 inch tall woman.
You don't see one like that everyday, or ever. <G>

The Jewfish divers see are usually MUCH smaller than that too.

In short, once they are bigger than 100 lbs, they are HUGE to
any diver.

-- Bob.

In article <1124729410.462720.55960@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com (Reef Fish) wrote:

>
> My sentiments exactly. I am sure there are parts of the 4,000 mile
> Reef that are better than the GBR at that region. But I suspect I
> would have seen it in films somewhere. In short, in terms of marine
> life, the GBR is unexcelled -- hell, 4,000 miles of Pacific marine
> life is nothing to sneeze at. But in terms of diving at any of its
> famed locations, it's my opinion that they are greately over-rated.

We much preferred the diving on offer at South West Rocks, Byron Bay,
Noosa Heads, but as has been said above, the vis out on Holmes was
stunning, the swim throughs in the coral heads was excellent, you never
knew what you would find round the next corner.....sharks, BIG
triggers.....Holmes reminds me of Nabq north of the Mangroves and shrimp
farm just North of Sharm, a shore dive and out of reach of the day boats.

Dave Morgan @ Work in the UK
Take out the "goes diving" bit....
Trip photos on line at www.morg.co.uk

On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 19:25:29 -0700, Reef Fish wrote:

>
> #> The Goliath Grouper (Jewfish) <name change in 2001>
>
> #> The goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara) is a #> large
> saltwater fish of the grouper family.
>
> #> they may reach extremely large size (record 680 lbs (309 kg),

That's a baby. The Queensland or Giant Grouper:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Grouper

the World's largest bony fish and the aquatic emblem of Queensland,
Australia. It is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, with the
exception of the Persian Gulf. The species can grow as large as 3 m long,
weighing up to 600 kg, and there have been unconfirmed reports of attacks
on humans.

There used to be one that hung out around Exmouth pier in Western
Australia. It was a huge thing.

On the subject of bug grouper in Oz. The most I've ever seen was on the
wreck of the Yongala. Great dive for fishlife because it's the only spot
in an area of sandy sea bed that can attract life. It's more a reef dive
than a wreck dive, there's so much life on it.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including
the Coral Sea, Ningaloo reef, the Solitaries and Byron Bay

In article <1124813161.755909.168110@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com (Reef Fish) wrote:

>
> Do YOU have any pix of any grouper or Queensland Cod that you think
> was bigger than 200 lbs? And can tell us HOW you arrived at that
> 200 lb figure.

I have several pictures of my wife and BIG Cod that i took while at the
Cod Hole on the Northern GBR (ribbon reefs) on a Christmas day 2 or 3
years ago, i can send a pic if you like ?

Dave Morgan @ Work in the UK
Take out the "goes diving" bit....
Trip photos on line at www.morg.co.uk

morgand@cix.compulink.co.uk wrote:
> In article <1124813161.755909.168110@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
> Large_Nassau_Grouper@Yahoo.com (Reef Fish) wrote:
>
> >
> > Do YOU have any pix of any grouper or Queensland Cod that you think
> > was bigger than 200 lbs? And can tell us HOW you arrived at that
> > 200 lb figure.
>
> I have several pictures of my wife and BIG Cod that i took while at the
> Cod Hole on the Northern GBR (ribbon reefs) on a Christmas day 2 or 3
> years ago, i can send a pic if you like ?

Please do. I want to see if it's any bigger than the one I straddled.
I estimated it to be 100 lbs at best.

-- Bob.