Adventurers Dive Log:Scuba Diving in Australia and the Great Barrier Reef Plates
Adventurers Dive Log
presents
Diving on Plates
Plates is a realatively new divesite at the northern end of Harrier reef (Ribbon Reef 7½). This divesite is named after the vast anount of plate coral in the area. This divesite has some deep areas that do not have much to see, as the dead coral from the top of this picturesque reef finds its way to the bottom. As this divesite is at the northernm end of the reef, strong currents can be found during the dive as the diver heads toward the eastern side of the reef. This dive should only be done during an incomming tide.
Among the many things to see here are the myriad of coral formations. Plate coral, staghorn coral, and soft coral all make their home here. Some of the animmals found living among the coral include anglefish, butterfly fish, wrasses, moray eels, and cuttlefish. On one dive I found an epaulette shark nestled among the corals.
Divesite briefing:
From the boat, proceed north along the wall, working against the current. Follow the wall around to the northern end of the reef, gradually work up to the shallows. On the wall there will be many sof corals, some hard coral, and a few eels. Near the top, it is an easy drift dive back to the boat. The is a wonderful variety of corals on the top of the reef and one can see an entire field of coral while drifting by. The current will diminish near the boat mooring. Take time here to investigate the reeftop corals during the safety stop.
Plates
| Depth | Visibility | Experience |
| 150 Ft. | 50-150 Ft. | Novice - Experienced |
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