North Ribbon Reef 2
North Ribbon Reef 2 is a drift dive along the northern side of Ribbon Reef No. 2, at a large entrance to the inside of the Great Barrier Reef, about 111 km from Port Douglas. The wall drops to about 35 m and carries more gorgonias than McFadyen had seen anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef, some almost 2 m across. Whitetip reef sharks, unicornfish, barracuda and occasional pelagics pass; after about 20 minutes the base of the wall rises from 35 to 20 m and the wall turns into a bowl. The dive ends near a mooring about 400 m to the east; the position given is the drift start. Located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: Green (no-take) zones allow diving without a permit, but fishing and collecting are prohibited; tourism operators hold the park permits and the environmental management charge is passed on through the operator. Check the current zoning map before any non-operator visit.
Facts
- Region: Great Barrier Reef North
- Area: Southern Ribbon Reefs
- Depth: 20–35 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: wall, drift
- Coordinates: -15.5336, 145.8015 (approximate)
- Highlights: gorgonias up to 2 m, whitetip reef sharks, unicornfish, barracuda
- Tips: Drift with a boat pick-up; strong gorgonian photography on the wall at 20 to 35 m.