Whales and Dolphins on the Great Barrier Reef

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A migrating minke whale seen on the Great Barrier Reef

A migrating minke whale seen on the Great Barrier Reef

A huge draw of the Taka liveaboard trips is the possibility of seeing minke whales during their winter migration. I did have the opportunity to snorkel with some friendly visitors and get a few snaps. We were also treated to a dolphin show of sorts. Dozens of the creatures hitched a ride at the front on the third day of our trip and spent about 15 minutes jumping and swimming alongside us.

 

Diving on the Great Barrier Reef: Taka Range

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Blue and green soft coral at Taka Range

Blue and green soft coral at Taka Range

I’ve had these photos ready to post for weeks and have been so busy working I haven’t had a chance! These were taken at the Taka Range dive site on the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef. It had only been scouted a few weeks before my trip and visited by a handful of dive groups. The corals – both hard and soft – at this site are abundant and pristine. The colors are mostly soft pastels unlike what I’ve seen at other sites. There are also loads of nudibranchs and other small critters.

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Diving on the Great Barrier Reef: Pixie’s Pinnacle

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A giant clam and some vibrant yellow coral at Pixie's Pinnacle

A giant clam and some vibrant yellow coral at Pixie’s Pinnacle

Pixie’s Pinnacle is a massive cone-shaped dive site covered with hard and soft corals. There are loads of giant clams that express a variety of colors and patterns. There are also tons of hawkfish and cod!

I got the settings on my camera more or less working for me at this dive site, so the colors of the fish and the corals really came through. The photo of the freckled hawkfish in particular is a pretty nice one, as well as the coral cod.

 

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Diving on the Great Barrier Reef: Steve’s Bommie

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Schools of yellow lined snapper and fusilier at Steve's Bommie in the Great Barrier Reef

Schools of yellow lined snapper and fusilier at Steve’s Bommie in the Great Barrier Reef

Steve’s Bommie is one of the most popular dive sites on the Ribbon Reefs and it was highly anticipated on the Taka trip. Before this dive a helpful staff member aboard Taka helped me play around with the color settings on my camera, which resulted in some really good, rich shots. The yellow of the snapper is superb and some of the coral colors came out marvelously. As I’m still a novice photographer, some of the photos were a bit TOO color rich, but with more experimentation I’m sure I’ll get it right soon enough.

I had some trouble identifying some of these fish, so if any marine biologists happen to stumble upon this page and have corrections, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

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