TOWNSVILLE, Australia (18 Apr 2006) -- Another cyclone on the horizon is causing further ripples of trouble for the North Queensland dive industry. Despite Cyclone Larry barely scratching the reef, operators have been battling the recent onslaught of wet weather and a global perception that North Queensland was wiped out by the cyclone, particularly with Cyclone Monica hovering off the far north coast yesterday. Paul Crocombe, of Adrenalin Dive, said during the past month there were reports from Airlie Beach to Cairns of trip cancellations. "We usually have a bit of a seasonal downturn this time of year, but with Larry and this unstable weather, people have been ringing up cancelling, and staying south because there is this perception that the whole of North Queensland was flattened and damaged," Mr Crocombe said. The Federal Government estimated only 1 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef was damaged by Cyclone Larry, which coral experts predicted would actually assist further growth of the reef. But Mr Crocombe said cyclones Wati and now Monica would further prolong the absence of reef visitors. "Some (operators) are struggling financially because of the prolonged period and it's difficult to know how long this will last," he said. Tropical Diving co-owner John Magrin said times were tough on local dive operators. "The cyclone just killed us dead in our tracks and we couldn't operate for more than a week," Mr Magrin said. "A business like us relies on regular income, and we have a lot of costs coming in all the time, so we were a week making no income whatsoever. "It was exacerbated because it was right in the middle of a period when there was a US warship in port and it was about to disgorge 7000 personnel. Many of them snorkel and go on dive trips. | | "That warship just had to put back out to sea to get away from the cyclone. "So the effect was quite substantial." He said Tropical Dive was in the process of hiring a new diving instructor from New Zealand, who had heard the whole of North Queensland was wiped out by Larry. "He said 'I might as well not bother' and we said 'why', and he said 'well the news over here in New Zealand was the whole of that part of Australia was wiped out'," Mr Magrin said. He said visitors needed to know the North Queensland dive industry was still open for business. "There is minimal damage to the reef, and since Cyclone Larry, we've had some fantastic weather for reef trips and people shouldn't be deterred," he said. "The diving's great here." At the weekend, Townsville Enterprise CEO Glenys Schuntner said while early reports pointed towards a booming Easter holiday period for region, the dive industry may have been dealt another blow from the weather during the Easter period. "The only area we were concerned was the dive sector," Ms Schuntner said. "Since the cyclone, they've been experiencing slower business than normal, and with the weather - a bit of rain, a bit of wind, I'm sure that's not helping them too much at the moment." SOURCE - Townsville Bulletin |
