Diving Pics from Weeler Reef GBR

Here's the rest.
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The camera I was using is a Canon Powershot S1 IS. No strobe just yet. I dove from Townsville, QLD through a company called Tropical Cruise and Dive. To my knowledge they only do day trips out to this reef. Costs $160 AU if you have your own gear which is something like 115$ US. IMO its worth every penny. Thanks for the comments.
Good on ya
Aaron
 
Townsville? That's cool. I was under the assumption that the only place the charters went from Townsville was the SS Yongala, which I heard is one of the best dives in the world. Here's the itinerary of my voyage of the SS Yongala shipwreck. I went last summer, stayed in Cairns with my family. And since I was the only certified diver, I had to go on my own to these dives. Here's the itinerary of my most memoriable dive ever:
11:30pm-6am - Bus from Cairns to Townsville
7am-10:30am - horrible boat ride with Adrenaline to the SS Yongala Shipwreck
11am-1:30pm - two amazing dives
1:30pm-4:45pm - Boat ride from SS Yongala to Townsville
5:00pm-11:30pm headed back to Cairns.

Those are awesome pictures; I wish I had a camera and the ability to take pictures like that.
 
Yeah, the Yongala is my next trip to go on. Adrenaline dive is the main person to go to in townsville for it (so I'm told) but if you go down the coast a bit, an hour drive south of townsville, you can take another charter (the name is escaping me right now) which has only a 40min boat ride. Being as though my last boat ride to Weeler for 2.5hours ended up getting me a little sea sick, I might take the 40min boat ride instead.
There are a couple other reefs to go to. I've also been to John Brewer reef, which is a really frequented spot by major snorkelling boats and the reef itself is nothing to marvel. I'm told Weeler reef is one of the better reefs to get to from townsville though.
 
Hey! I know that spot! Did you see "Elvis" the 2.5 metre barracuda under the dive boat? I'm heading off to the reef soon, Wheeler is one of my favourite spots. The night dives there are pretty good. Wheeler is in the "green zone" which means that it's totally protected, and as such the diving is only going to get better.
Hows the visibily out on the reef after the cyclone?
 
Hey, if you go back to the Yongala, look for someone other than Adrenaline. They weren't very good, and the boat sucked. It was old, slow, and not very smooth. When I went with Tusa in Cairns, it was just as choppy, but the boat was really nice. It makes a big difference when going for a 3 hour+ boat ride.

edr42, you're one amazingly lucky person, being a marine bio student, living in TOWNSVILLE. That's my dream life.
 
The vis at wheeler wasn't all that good but not bad for the cyclone passing through just a week prior. Because the vis wasn't all that great on the deeper part of the reef, we made the second dive in the shallows which was amazing. Unfortunately I'll only be here until July so I'm trying to dive as much as money can afford until I leave. edr, are there any other reefs around here that compare to wheeler? John brewer was kinda crap, but I'd like to try another place besides wheeler. I think I'm going to wait to dive the yongala until I have my advanced cert. because I'm not sure how much I'll like seeing the top 4m of the wreck. What are your recommendation on the yongala as an open water diver? Are they very strict as far as rec. limits? Thanks for the info.

Good on ya
Aaron
 
With my open water certificate, I was allowed to go to the bottom when I was with Adrenaline, and if I can remember correctly, I bottomed out at 98 feet. The only stipulation to diving without an advanced certificate is that in your dive, there must be a dive master in the group.
 
To dive the Yongala on Open Water, you only need to dive with a divemaster. It costs about $20 to $30 extra, but it would be worth it, as you also get a guided tour of the wreck. My max depth on my dives was around 31 metres, or just over 100 feet. The only restrictions are that you CANNOT under any circumstances penetrate the wreck. The last inquisitive tourist who stuck their head into the wreck got a jail term, and the dive operators are quick to remind you of this.
There are other good reefs out there, you just have to scout around the local dive shops, try remote area dive, and the JCU dive club are doing a Hook Island week long trip during the easter lecture break. I've heard snippets about a huge drop off right out on the outer edge of the reef, but i've forgotten the name. Anyway, good luck with your adventures!
 
Thanks for the info. I'll check into remote area dive...I've heard good things about them as well. I really wanted to go on the week long dive trip but I have to field trips back to back at Orpheus Island for my coral biology and reef fishes class. Unfortunately I don't have enough logged dive time to dive...so I'm stuck snorkelling. Oh well, should be fun.
Aaron
 
Orpheus is a great spot for corals, so snorkelling shouldn't be too much of a problem if you can free dive to a decent depth. Back to back trips at Orpheus sounds awesome. I'm looking forwards to the maritime archaeology field course i'm doing in semester 2, a week of wreck diving!
Where are you staying in Townsville?
 
Nice looking pictures! I have looked at getting that model Canon and this shows is potential underwater, even without strobes.
 
I'm staying on campus in Western Hall. Even though I'm 22 and haven't lived in a dorm for 3 years, its the most convenient for the 5 months I'm here. The wreck diving should be awesome. Be sure to post some pictures of it when you go.
Aaron
 
Im just down the road in George Roberts, keep an eye out for a red and white VW kombi van around the place, that'll be me. You could try snorkelling over at Magnetic Island, Arthur Bay at mid tide (rising or falling) has some good corals and fish.
 
Great photos. The amount of color saturation is nice. What mode did you shoot in?

My wife and I went to Wheeler and Yongala last November with Mike Ball. I remember seeing the Adrenaline when we were at the wreck. I'd definetly go with Mike Ball again, top notch crew and boat. The Yongala was one of the tougher dives I've done. A lot of current but well worth it. We spent 2 days on the wreck.
 
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