Just been for a few great days out at the reefs out from the Whitsundays...
When i was researching this visit there wasn't a lot of info about access and what to expect as a novice....and in hindsight there was a lot of false and incorrect info offered as well......100 magic miles was helpful
I cant stress enough to have good polarized sunglasses and to take all the advise about the time of day to see the reefs with regard angle of sun
The entrance to Hardy's will fit a 8.6 m wide Cat ....just... on a neap tide with calm weather, no current and 5.5 feet of water measured at Kennedy reef tide station on Navionics.....this gave me 2 foot under the keels and about 3 feet either side.....i draw 5 feet.....inside the lagoon where i was anchored was 33 feet..... there was never a waterfall the 3 days i was there with a tide range once again referencing Kennedy reef of 4.3 to 6.1 feet
The 2 other gaps in the reef are not suitable unless you draw less than 3 feet on a big tide
The moorings at Bait reef are very good but there are plenty of obsacles once inside the stepping stones for those who just head for a distant mooring buoy as the pic shows.
Entry is well marked at present with a yellow cone you keep to Starboard on the way in
Perhaps re-post this to the sailing forum here on Seabreeze. I love bait reef and have dived all the 12 stepping stones a dozen times. One of the best dives on the GRB reef . There's another good morning in good conditions just south of the the stepping stones with a 40 meter vertical wall. I miss that place!
