Howick Group East-- past Lizard island

Stapleton Island

Now, try straying just a little east of Ingram Island. Stapleton Island is home to many thousands of marine birds on a well-developed grassy cay. It is an amazing sight watching them buzz around their eggs and chicks like swarming bees. You will find Sooty, Crested & Caspian Terns, Noddies, Boobies, and maybe some beautiful Tropical-birds. Frigate-birds are plying their nasty trade of harassment, but it is the common silver gulls that pose the biggest threat. Just a little extra space between a nesting bird and its eggs and…kiss your eggs goodbye mum—the gulls pounce so quickly it’s scary. The anchorage here is just passable in 15-20 knots. When the wind gets up, a retreat behind Warden Reef or back to Ingram Islet is your best bet.

P.S. on our 2020 trip we noticed several crocs residing here..beware!

Sandbank one and Water Witch Passage

Another eight nautical miles east and Sand Bank One cay appears—alone on the reef outer edge. Brown booby birds nest here along with Green Turtles, whose tracks meander over the sand next to a beachcombers delight of assorted fishing buoys, and Pacific bric-a-brac. To the North, Water Witch Passage has an extraordinary deep trench running about 200 meters from the reef. No doubt, it acts like an underground river funnelling through huge amounts of tidal flow and is probably why, when diving along the edge of the excellent reef, the current is less than expected.

P.S. on our 2020 we saw several small crocs on the sand cay and 10 lots of tracks. Beware!

The SE passage under sandbank one.

The SE Passage is much shallower, and during spring tides, the current is too strong for comfortable anchoring or diving. But at neap tides, a world of opportunity arises: the passage becomes a protected anchorage even in strong winds. You’ll find superb diving out from the entrance where 3-meter Silvertip sharks patrol next to a rich 30-meter drop off.
Diving inside the passage over a sand bottom is also superb. Little coral heads pop up from the sand every 20 meters or so, and the macro life on these is excellent: little Pipefish, Hawkish, Saddled Puffers everywhere, flatworms, nudibranchs, and occasional crayfish. Many bigger visitors may drop by as well: schools of sweetlips, trevallies, barracudas, grey sharks, and the odd GT.

To view info and images of the other areas around the Howick group click here.

*P.S Severe coral bleaching is just now occurring in our far northern reefs and this could affect corals in the places described in this blog post.