In March 2017 slow moving and severe tropical cyclone Debbie wreaked havoc with the fragile coral communities in the Whitsunday Islands and neighbouring Great Barrier Reef. It took a year for the sediment to settle, further hampering the potential for new corals to colonize in the annual spawning events. Over two years later we are starting to see new coral colonies establish, and grow quite quickly, however there is a long way to go yet.
On the bright side, this part of the coast has not felt a significant coral bleaching event, so the ecosystems which were spared Debbie's wrath are in good health. Anecdotally the fish life seems to be unaffected, however with so much coral destroyed, the remaining habitat could well be overcrowded!
Our favourite dive site has been The Narrows, in the pass between Hayman and Hook Islands, where we have done several SCUBA dives over the past couple of months. As you can imagine, there is a bit of current flow through here which reduces visibility and increases the effort of the dive, so we aim for neap tides and calm weather.
Below is a selection of our favourite shots:
