My scuba diving bucket list is getting long, but heading to Australia to dive the Great Barrier Reef was becoming a priority. I had been reading all these articles saying “the Great Barrier Reef is dead.” Truth is, it isn’t completely dead, but there had been a couple years of really warm summers causing mass coral bleaching. By chance, a friend of mine was living in Australia temporarily. I jumped on my opportunity to go visit him and our sunset sail the first night I was there was spectacular!
Where to dive
Since the Great Barrier Reef is so massive, choosing where in Australia to dive the Great Barrier Reef was a tough decision. Ultimately, I chose Airlie Beach and the surrounding Whitsunday Islands on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. This way I could combine diving the Great Barrier Reef with sailing the Whitsundays.
A popular spot to dive the Great Barrier Reef is Cairns on the northern end of the reef, where the reef is located closer to shore. However, Cairns and the northern part of the reef have been hit the hardest by recent coral bleaching due to water temperatures rising.
The diving
For our first dive we woke up at the crack of dawn, but well worth it since we could hear whale songs off in the distance. This was a first for me and truly an amazing experience. On our second dive the reality of the state of the Great Barrier Reef set in. Don’t get me wrong, it was still gorgeous, but there were large areas of coral rubble from a cyclone that had come through earlier in the year.
Good news was that there were already signs of recovery, corals are resilient. Blue stars and nudibranchs were abundant, we even got to see a starry toadfish. A trip to the Great Barrier Reef is worth it for sure!
What we can do individually to save reefs around the world is reduce our carbon footprint. You can do this by reducing the amount of red meat and dairy you eat and drink, walk or ride your bike to work and take fewer & longer trips. For example, instead of taking two 1 week trips this year, take one 2 week trip. Eat and drink local. And support clean energy. Last, but not least, don’t forget to reduce, reuse, recycle!
Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly. If you liked this post, check out my Scuba Diving Bucketlist!
