He resigned in 1925 to become scientific director of the Great Barrier Reef Investigation Committee. Between April and August 1926 he was supervising the sinking of a bore on Michaelmas Reef near Cairns, and he returned to Sydney in August intending to visit Japan in connexion with the third Pan-Pacific Science Congress.
In 1925, he relinquished his position as scientific director for the Great Barrier Reef Investigation Committee. From April to August 1926, he supervised the construction of a bore on Michaelmas Reef near Cairns; then, planning to visit Japan for the third Pan-Pacific Science Congress, he returned to Sydney in August.