The Great Barrier Reef Dive Guide (Abbeville Diving Guides) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789204568 ISBN 13: 9780789204561

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 1999

Synopsis

Three-dimensional maps in full color of each site illustrating 27 of the most spectacular dives along Australia's Great Barrier Reef. These maps offer what no book has ever before provided: the information needed to plan your dive down to the last detail. You can review the exact layout of the site — including depths, sizes, and distances between reefs and wrecks or any hazards — and even the lighting conditions for optimum underwater photography. The short chapters covering each dive provide crucial data about depths, currents, weather variables, and plant and animal life, and each book ends with a full-color visual encyclopedia of the most common fish that inhabit the area.

The experts' lively text has been vetted by Diving Science and Technology Corp. (DSAT), which is a corporate affiliate of Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), making these the most reliable guides for the expert as well as the first-time diver.

About this title

About the Author

Roberto Rinaldi is official photographer aboard Jacques Cousteaus Calypso and author and photographer of articles published in National Geographic and other publications around the world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

A detailed dive guide to the Great Barrier Reef would be a massive undertaking. It would be like describing what you would see on a walk across Europe—the flowers, the insects—the underwater life down to the tiny fish and crustaceans.

The Great Barrier Reef is 1,430 miles (2,300 kilometers) long and from 37 to 168 miles (60 to 270 kilometers) wide, with more than 2,500 isolated reefs. IT is home to more than 400 coral species; more than 4,000 types of shellfish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates; and 1,500 species of fish, not counting reptiles and mammals. IT lies in an immense ocean, full of fish and corals—a fascinating and varied underwater world that offers an infinite number of dives.

So, what is the scope of this work? It is not a list of the most beautiful dives in the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea or even a list of our favorites. We describe a number of dives in a series of easy-to-follow itineraries, using the routes most commonly suggested by experienced tour operators.

A family visiting the mainland could take a one-day cruise with only two dives; a dedicated diver could take a cruise of three or four days. An enthusiastic diver, who set off for Australia with the firm intention of examining the sea beds of the Pacific Ocean, could take a long cruise to the farthest reefs. For a diving holiday without having to live on board for days, divers could stay at an island resort. It is possible to choose from the itineraries to customize a vacation.

Each chapter of the book presents a sample itinerary. The number of dives included in a chapter depends on the duration of the stay. For instance, cruises to Flinders Reef usually last almost a week, while those to Holmes Reef generally last from three to four days, so we have described more dives at Flinders than at Holmes. This book will be useful in planning your trip—a source of information before you reserve a bungalow in a resort or a cabin on a yacht. Once you have arrived, all the dives on the Great Barrier Reef, even if not exactly the same as those described here, will definitely be exciting.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0789204568
• ISBN 13: 9780789204561
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168