Diving in Australia

Osprey Reef: Around the Bend

Where you begin this Australian dive depends on which of the 2 ways it is to be dived: either as a long deep drift or an easy exploration of the lagoon area.

On the drift you will be dropped beside a rising pinnacle that tops out at around 1 metre below the surface and you will sink done close to its base at around 15 metres deep. In optimal condititions a mild current will bring you gently over a highway of coral rubble which runs from 3 to 20m, dividing 2 sections of the reef. As you reach the other side of the highway, a bommie covered in soft corals will come into view. Atop this bommie is a line on to which you and some of your fellow divers may be instructed to hold and hang there in around 20 to 25 metres.

If you haven't already spotted them before getting to the line, you soon will: mantas, sometimes several, will come in and hover in the current enjoying all the facilities of what is a natural cleaning station. The rays seem to hang motionless as the little wrasses go to work picking parasites off the skin of the graceful beauties, some with a wing span of 3 to 4 metres. They tend to have white undersides with black topsides, dappled with various patches of white.

After several minutes marveling at these most alluring of creatures, you will probably then proceed to drift over a sandy channel where white tip reef sharks rest on the sea floor and a proliferation of soft corals heralds the entrance to a shallow lagoon. This lagoon is so beautiful and has such a number of things to investigate that it is considered a separate dive site in its own right.

In addition to the soft corals, the entrance is marked by a large boulder coral covered by Christmas tree worms. Inside, the lagoon is teeming with colour to the extent that 1 instructor declared it to be "like the gaming room of Crown Casino". Blue staghorn, swarms of damsels and anthias, all manner of Christmas tree worms and nudibranchs, all add to the riot of a colourful scenario around which an amazing array of butterflyfish flutter. You will spot varieties such as saddled, threadfin, pyramid and blackback butterflyfish. Plus look out for the 2 distinct types with differentially scaled proboscis that are prevalent when diving in Australia: the longnose butterfly fish and the ... very longnose butterflyfish.

Around the Bend Reef Basics: Reef, wall and drift dive
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 30m
Currents: Normally moderate, can be strong
Surface conditions: Can be choppy
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Intermediate
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving season: All year round although weather dependent
Distance: 165 km from Lizard Island, 355 km north of Cairns
Access: Australia diving liveaboards

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