Cook Island Aquatic Reserve (Fingal Head, Tweed)
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve is an about 80-hectare marine reserve roughly 600 m off Fingal Head and 4 km south-east of the Tweed River mouth, a short boat trip from the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads. Hard and soft corals cover parts of the bottom, and boulders form walls and caves that drop to a sandy seabed. It is known for resident green and loggerhead turtles; wobbegongs, stingrays and nudibranchs are common, and leopard sharks appear in the summer months. It suits divers of all levels.
Facts
- Region: New South Wales – Byron Bay to Eden (Australia)
- Area: Byron Bay & Tweed (Julian Rocks, Cook Island)
- Depth: 12–18 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: moderate
- Type: reef, wall, cave
- Coordinates: -28.19503, 153.57703 (approximate)
- Highlights: green turtles, loggerhead turtles, leopard shark (summer), wobbegong, stingrays, nudibranchs, groupers, clownfish
- Tips: Boat-only; trips run from Tweed Heads (for example Kirra Dive on the Tweed and Tweed Sea Sports list Cook Island). Aquatic reserve: no fishing or collecting. The depth range is from a volunteer survey log (12–18 m) and a dive-site listing for the north wall (to about 13 m), so treat it as approximate.
Sources
- https://www.padi.com/dive-site/australia/cook-island-2/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Island_Aquatic_Reserve
- https://www.experienceoz.com.au/en/gold-coast/cook-island-aquatic-reserve-diving-tour
- https://travel.padi.com/dive-center/australia/kirra-dive-on-the-tweed
- https://travel.padi.com/dive-center/australia/tweed-sea-sports