ECO-EXPEDITIONS

The Far-Northern Section

Without any doubt, the Far-Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) encompasses one of the largest, most biologically diverse, and relatively undisturbed tracts of coral reef habitat to be found anywhere on earth. These reefs were the first to form when the Australian continent first moved into tropical latitudes 60 million years ago. As the map shows, coral growth across the continental shelf has been extensive, with literally hundreds of massive reefs filling most of the available area between the coast and the shelf margin.

The Far-Northern Section is very close to the Indo-Pacific center of biological diversity. The values of species richness for corals, fishes, echinoderms, and other major taxa are 85-90% of those found in the Indo-Philippine island archipelagoes. This section of the GBR is bathed by a warm, clear branch of the West-Pacific Equatorial current, and is situated close to the equator, so it receives high solar energy all year. These conditions combine to produce coral reef ecosystems bursting with movement, packed to their maximum with living creatures!

Furthermore, the Far-Northern Section has not been affected by large outbreaks of the coral feeding Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), which means the reefs in this section have exceptionally high coral cover and diverse coral communities. This starfish has caused large declines in coral cover on many reefs in the Cairns section of the Great Barrier Reef. For more information on Crown-of-thorns starfish, visit the CRC Reef Research Centre or GBRMPA - The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

The Far-Northern section lies adjacent to Cape York Peninsula, an immensely important wilderness area. Very few people inhabit this part of Australia; apart from aboriginal communities at Hope Vale and Lockhart River, and an alternative community in the jungle at Iron Range, there are no towns at all along the 700km of coastline between Cooktown in the south and the tip of Cape York in the North. At best, the reefs here would see a handful of fishing boats and adventurous yachties each year, and the odd scientific vessel. Few commercial dive operators come this far north - given the vast number of reefs in this area, it would be safe to say that most reefs have probably never seen a scuba diver!

The Far-Northern section extends from approximately latitude 14°S to 10°S. In the southern half of the section (14°S - 12°S), the continental shelf is very narrow, about 50km in width. Platform reefs are found within 10km of the coast, and a continuous line of ribbon reefs line the entire shelf edge. This presents great opportunities for Eco-expeditions because a wide range of reef habitats, from inshore reefs to oceanic drop-offs, can be explored consecutively without the need for extensive steaming between dive sites.

In the northern half of the section (12°S - 10°S), the shelf edge increasingly diverges away from the coastline. This area has some of the most amazing and pristine dive locations to be found anywhere on the GBR - truly the best of the best! At around 12°S, the shelf edge is kinked into a series of gigantic semi-circles some 10-25km in diameter (Wreck Bay), and a number of huge reefs are found well off the shelf edge in 500m of water (Yule detached Reef, Great detached Reef, & Raine Island).

There are a number of logistic and environmental factors which should be considered when contemplating a trip to the Far-Northern section. First, is the remote nature of the area. As mentioned previously, there are no major towns on the adjacent coast, which means that vessels travelling to the Far-Northern section must be large enough to be self-sufficient for food, water, fuel, and other supplies for the whole duration of the trip. This obviously increases charter costs, compounded by the fact that vessels must generally steam to the Far-Northern section from Cairns or Cooktown, several hundred km to the south.

Second, the prevailing weather conditions in the area are often less than ideal for diving. During the "dry" season from April to October, the Far-Northern section experiences almost continuous strong SE trade winds of 20-30 knots. Depending on the anchorage and chosen dive sites, this can make living aboard a vessel somewhat uncomfortable. However, the main constraint the wind places on diving operations is to affect access to the windward sides of reefs. On the the ribbon reefs in particular, it is often impossible to access the outer reef-slopes due to the large seas crashing onto the reefs and through the passes.

The winds abate somewhat during the "wet" season from November to March, however the monsoon trough is usually very active over Cape York Peninsula during this time. This causes hot humid weather, thunderstorms, and periods of torrential rain. Tropical cyclones (hurricanes/typhoons) may also form in the Coral Sea or the Gulf of Carpentaria and affect the area. However, the overall wind speed during the wet season is much lower than during the dry, and there are many days of light northerly winds and glassy sea conditions, perfect for diving the outer reef slopes.

In summary

The Far-Northern Section is one of the world's last true "wilderness" areas. It contains incredibly diverse coral reef communities, and presents opportunities for diving Eco-expeditions at pristine locations that have never been visited before. These features have a price however; expensive access costs, and rough weather conditions during most of the year which limit access to front reef slopes and shelf-edge ribbon reefs. Contact Tevene'i Marine to discuss options for Eco-expeditions in the Far-Northern section.

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