Great Barrier Reef Far Northern Reefs Lizard Island Ribbon and Osprey Reef
Yonge Reef Port Douglas Cairns Holmes Reef Townsville Flinders Reef
Outer Coral Sea Whitsunday Islands Swain Reefs Southern Coral Sea
Keppel Islands Heron Island Lady Elliot Island Bundaberg
Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay
Although some the best reefs lie offshore requiring a dive boat, The Southport Seaway and Tweed River provide good scuba diving on the high tide, when reef fish, stingrays and colourful invertebrates abound in these estuaries.
Kirra Reef is a large rocky reef that can be dived from shore and supports an impressive array of reef fish and wobbegongs, with a huge range of invertebrates, even turtles are seen on a regular basis. All these shore dives are shallow, averaging 6 m, and visibility is usually about 10 m.
Rocky reefs and soft corals are a feature of Gold Coast diving and although at some times the visibility is ordinary, the diving is magnificent. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Excellent onshore and offshore Diving
The surf beaches of the Gold Coast have been a popular holiday destination for over 50 years. The numerous high-rise buildings which line the beachfront house the myriad sun seekers who flock here in the summer months. For the diver with a family and non-diving spouse, the Gold Coast is the perfect destination. There are enough activities and attractions to keep any family busy for weeks, allowing you to escape for a few quick dives on the exciting reefs in the area. The attractions include theme parks, night clubs, a casino, wildlife parks and nearby rainforests. Diving is probably the Gold Coast's least-known attraction; hidden off the famous beaches, dozens of reefs offer excellent diving year round.
It might seem that coastal inshore areas might not support large schools of fish but this is not correct. Schools of Big - eye Trevally Caranax sexfasciatus are often seen around the Gold Coast area. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The Gold Coast tourist strip stretches from Southport in the north to Tweed Heads, New South Wales, in the south. Visitors will find a wide range of accommodation and a generous selection of shops and restaurants. A number of dive shops operate in the area, all of which run charter boats offering morning and afternoon double-dive trips. The best range of dive sites is located around Tweed Heads and even the furthermost reef can be reached in less than 30 minutes.
Shore Dives
Although the best reefs lie offshore, a number of interesting dive sites is found along the shore. The Southport Seaway and Tweed River are both good dives on the high tide, when reef fish, stingrays and colourful invertebrates can usually be seen. Kirra Reef is a large rocky reef that supports an impressive array of reef fish, wobbegongs, invertebrates and even turtles. All these shore dives are shallow, averaging 6 m, and visibility is usually about 10 m.
The compound Inflated Ascidian Pseudistoma inflatum is common on the Gold Coast reefs and although many divers mistake them for sponges, there is one shore way to check. Unlike sponges, ascidians have a nervous system and if touched they will react and close their openings. very simple stuff! ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Scottish Prince Shipwreck
The 64-m long iron barque, Scottish Prince ran aground off Southport in 1887. Today the hull of the historic shipwreck lies in 10 m of water and shelters a great variety of marine life. Trevally and kingfish come in to feed on the schools of bullseyes and yellowtail which swarm about the wreck. Stingrays, moral eels, wobbegongs, shovelnose rays, catsharks, turtles, lionfish and gropers are all found on or around the hull, which is fascinating to explore, as parts of the wreck can be entered. Artefacts can be found when the sands shift after storms, but since the area has been listed as an historic site, the artefacts must be left where they lie. Strong surges can sometimes make diving difficult, and divers should watch out for stonefish and little damselfish, which are aggressive if they are guarding eggs.
On the shallow water reefs the colonies of Spiky Soft Corals Dendronephthya sp. are generally small and compact due to the amount of water movement the reefs get from the swells. However, at the deeper reefs they grow to their true glory. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Palm Beach Reef
This immense reef, which varies in depth from 6 to 22 m, can be dived in many locations and provides consistently great diving on pinnacles, and in gutters and caves. The coral growth in the area is brilliant; plate corals, soft corals, ascidians, sponges, gorgonians and black coral trees are common. Angelfish, butterflyfish, goatfish, lionfish, rock cod, fairy basslets and damsels are just a few of the reef fish species here. Search the bottom closely and you will find nudibranchs, sea stars, feather stars, molluscs and crustaceans. Turtles, stingrays and wobbegongs are around on most dives and large schools of pelagic fish swarm over the reef at times.
Yellowtail Kingfish Serioa lalandi are often seen around the offshore reefs. Sometimes they are in large schools and sometimes, small groups or pairs. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Cook Island
Lying close to shore off Fingal Head, Cook Island is probably the most popular dive site on the Gold Coast. Surrounded by rocky and coral reefs in 6-20 m, Cook Island can usually be dived regardless of the prevailing conditions. Hard and soft corals cover the bottom in some areas; in others boulders form walls and caves before descending to the sandy sea floor. No matter where you dive around the island, you will find an interesting mixture of reef and pelagic fish. Pufferfish, gropers, surgeonfish, anemonefish, leatherjackets, parrotfish, trevally, bullseyes and sweetlips are regularly seen. Macro-photographers will find plenty of subjects, such as brittle stars, flatworms, shrimps and nudibranchs. Leopard sharks visit the area in large numbers over summer, however, stingrays, turtles, wobbegongs and blind sharks are permanent residents.
Admitably I have only had about 40 dives at Cook Island over the years BUT on every dive I have discovered a new record, new observations on behaviour and even a few undescribed species. It is much better now that it is a marine protected area as the spear fishing persons used to anihilate the fish in the area. On the Spiky Soft corals Dendronephthya sp. one can often see the Wilson Egg Cowry Prionovolva wilsoniana ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Found beneath a flat stone, a Marginate Flatworm Callioplana marginata is crawling over an encrusting bryozoan. This species is found all along the east coast, right down to Sydney Harbour, New South Wales. (photo: Neville Coleman)
Nine Mile Reef
Known as a 'sharky' spot by local fishermen, Nine Mile Reef certainly lives up to its reputation on some days. The rocky reef here drops from 10-30 m and is encrusted with numerous corals. Reef fish are ever present, and pelagic fish such as kingfish and trevally sometimes circle in large numbers. Turtles are regular visitors, as are stingrays, eagle rays and the occasional manta ray. Sharks resident year-round include wobbegongs and blind sharks, and bronze whalers; leopard sharks in summer; grey nurse sharks in winter; and occasional hammerheads and whale sharks.
Great Barrier Reef Far Northern Reefs Lizard Island Ribbon and Osprey Reef
Yonge Reef Port Douglas Cairns Holmes Reef Townsville Flinders Reef
Outer Coral Sea Whitsunday Islands Swain Reefs Southern Coral Sea
Keppel Islands Heron Island Lady Elliot Island Bundaberg
Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay
Neville Coleman's diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Coleman's expertise in living taxonomy and marine life identification extends to the identification of Algae, Sea Grass, Forams, Sponges, Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Sea Anemones, Sea Jellies, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Black Corals, Flatworms, Segmented Worms, Crustaceans, Barnacles, Shrimps, Rock Lobsters, Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters, Molluscs, Chitons, Univalves, Bivalves, Cephalopods, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Opisthobranchs, Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs, Bryozoans, Sea Mosses, Echinoderms, Sea Stars, Feather Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Ascidians/Sea Squirts, Marine Fish, Sharks, Marine Reptiles, and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters around.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
