The Great Barrier Reef, other than being humongous, has extremely rich marine biodiversity with records of more than 1,500 species of fish and 360 species of hard coral. It is one of the few places in the world where you might encounter up to six species of sea turtles and not to mention multiple species of sharks including silky sharks, grey reef sharks, whale sharks and sometimes tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks. If lucky, you might see the shy dugong, which is known to frequent the sea grass beds.
Manta rays are frequently seen especially to the south of the Great Barrier Reef. Another great dive will be at Cod Hole where you can fraternize with the huge friendly potato cod. Around most dive sites, there are stingrays, olive sea snakes, wobbegongs, and schooling fish like barracuda, bluestripe snapper, and trevally. Marine mammals on migration during winter months that can be seen from the surface, while snorkeling or even diving are humpback whales and minke whales. During October or November, you might be lucky to have a dive coincide with coral spawning season.
