Dive the Great Barrier Reef

Cod Hole

The Cod Hole is one of the best known dive sites on the Great Barrier Reef and is still a firm favourite amongst Australian liveaboards. Giant potato cod, used to divemasters bringing tasty treats to them for at least the last 2 decades, are extremely diver friendly and seem more than happy to pose for your photographs. Although not very PC, a diver-sized fish right next to your face makes for an excellent photo opportunity.

There are 3 permanent moorings at the dive site and you will drop into the water, descending down a line to about 15m depth. You can start the dive looking for the elusive, lacey scorpionfish on some of the coral heads below the boat. After this you will proceed north east along a series of long narrow coral ridges, known locally as the Supermarket Aisles.

Around 32 metres depth you can find gorgonians playing host to some delightful pygmy seahorses. After exploring the Supermarket Aisles you will find yourself in a large sandy area where sharks and other pelagics aggregate, since this part of the Great Barrier Reef is open to the ocean. The effects of waves and currents mean this area has plenty of caverns and swim-throughs to keep you entertained.

Moving back into the reef will bring you into contact with many varieties of sweetlips including harlequin, diagonal-banded, as well as trumpetfish and flutemouths. Dash-dot goatfish rummage with their barbels in the sand as you make you way to the flat lagoon in 6 to 10 metres. Here you can have fun spotting nudibranchs and gobies as you drain your tank on the exploratory dive.

Cod Hole is naturally a dive site which is home to large potato cod (Queensland grouper). They can be up to 2 metres in length and have large powerful bodies. Cairns dive operators need a fish feeding licence to undertake the cod feed and these are only given to 'Advanced Eco-tourism' operators who have to undertake other reef health monitoring activities in return. Unlike, Osprey Reef this is part of the GBRMPA so everything is regulated, from the participants to the amount of food, to the steps of the process.

The cod associate the sound of the liveaboard engines with food and it's normal to have a few fish of up to 60kg waiting for the snacks they know the dive guides bring. A bit of a frenzy ensues as the groupers barrel in to make sure that they get their share of the bounty. Even divers that do not have food on them will find the more experienced cod nudging them in the hope of a secret stash in BCD pockets.

It's not just the cod though that go onto a mini feeding frenzy. You can expect to see coral trout, sweetlips, triggerfish and trevally all try and get in on the action. Although the cod-feed is the main reason for visiting the site, it's not to say that it does not have other attractions. The sandy bottom has the occasional giant clam that can grow to almost 2m, and the bommies themselves are home to a rich diversity of marine life and colorful corals.

If your bottom time permits it, it is worth heading north a little to Shark Alley. Although not guaranteed, over the years this has been an excellent place to spot cruising white tips plus the odd Maori wrasse.

With the opportunity to get rubbed up by cod big enough to ride home on and coming face to face with a host of other usually shy and unapproachable fish, the cod hole is definitely lives up to its reputation. It warrants a serious visit, without which no scuba diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef is complete.

Normally you will dive this site as a normal dive first, before then joining in the feed that brings in the big star of the show (although not all the Cairns liveaboards conduct feeds).

Cod Hole Reef Basics: Potato grouper feeding
Depth: 10 - 30m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: None - gentle
Surface conditions: Usually calm
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round
Distance: ~190km north of Port Douglas
Access: Australia liveaboards

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