Best Dive Sites
Abington Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
wall & cave diving
Agincourt Reef
By boat - All divers
Agincourt Reef is a series of many smaller reefs. It has at least 16 different dive sites including; Point Break, Three Sisters, Horseshoe Reef and the Fish Bowl. Range of dives incl. wall, drift, etc.Pieces of a Taiwanese wreck are featured at The Wreck; Giant clams and Maori wrasse appear at all…
Agincourt Reef - Nursery Bommie
By boat - All divers
Abbundance of life on the pinnacle. Usually circling are some of the large fish including trevalley, barracuda and a few pelagics. Closer to the bommie you will fins loads of yellow lined snapper, anthea's, chromis etc as well as sweet-lips and numerous lion fish. Towards the top of the bommie you…
Anchor Bommies
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Manta Rays!
Anzac Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Several reefs with coral gardens, wallas, sharks, turtles...
Bait Reef
by boat - all levels
Bait Reef is located on the Outer Great Barrier Reef near the Whitsunday Island Chain. It is one of the most pristine scuba diving locations in the world and benefits from protection under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
A perfect site for photography because of the depth and variety of aquatic…
Bait Reef- Manta Ray Drop Off
by boat - cmas**/ AOWD
Manta Ray Drop Off, in the Whitsundays on the Great Barrier Reef, boasts spectacular underwater cliffs and a plunging wall that drops off to 30 metres. The wall is covered with gorgonians, soft coral trees, sponges and sea whips. The Manta Ray Drop Off site is great for snorkelling as well as…
Barracuda Pass
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Barren & Child Islands
by boat - all levels
Seven miles east of Great Keppel Island are Barren & Child Islands. Diving these islands allows us to visit numerous sites ranging from 30m (100ft) off Child, to a very easy but extremely pretty area with depths of 6 - 9m (20 - 30ft) known as One Bum Beach.A drift dive in the passage between and…
Bird Island & Langford Reef
by boat - all levels
Bird Island & Langford Reef is located between Hayman and Hook Islands. With protection from traditional swell, it makes for an idealic anchorage for day time and overnight. At the right tides, the beach spit that arrives from under the water is pristine for a day time walk and the surrounding…
Bligh Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Great wall with small caves, nice coral gardens
Blow Hole
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
A great cavern with two entrances:
- One on the top of the reef at 15m, just a short distance from the mooring
- The main entrance is on the reef wall at around 20 m
Blue Pearl Bay
By boat - All divers
Blue Pearl Bay is one of the more frequently used dive locations in the Whitsundays. Located on the North West corner of Hayman Island, its protected from the frequent South East Winds. Located at the North of the island group means that it receives cleaner water "first" on the incoming tides, for…
Blue Pools
By boat & from shore - All divers
The Blue pools are part of what is like a natural swimming pool, which gives and easy and relaxing dive. Great fish life, with angelfish being very common - the opportunitis for photography are excelent; also batfish, lionfish, gropers and coral trout. Loved it and just wish I was back there now…
Boat Rock
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Cruise along a huge wall, before you arrive at the end. Wait there for a bit to watch the Eagle Rays come in and just hover out off the wall a bit in the open. Awesome dive, but careful against the current back to the mooring line
Bowl Reef
By boat - All divers
Eagle Rays and reef sharks.
Broken Patches
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Bullrock Beach
From shore - All divers
Butterfly Bay
By boat - All divers
Butterfly Bay is one of the most spectacular bays in the Whitsundays. Carving deep into Hook Island, the high hillsides provide a stunning backdrop and safe anchorage.Butterfly Bay is often under-rated as a dive location, while providing an excellent protected stop over for marine craft in the…
Castles
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Cataran Bay- Border Island
by boat - all levels
Cataran Bay is a North facing bay on the small outer island of the appropriately named Border Island. An outer island of the Whitsunday island group, Border Island is a frequently used stop over on the way to or from Whitehaven Beach. Its a fully protected Green Zone, which has made the vast variety…
Cathedral Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Eagle Rays, Mantas, Grey Reef Sharks...
Challenger Bay
By boat - All divers
Chicken Reef
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Chilcot Islet
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
China Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
This is a more advanced dive due to the depth at the base of China Wall, although divers will still have a very enjoyable dive in the shallower parts. The outstanding feature is a tall vertical granite outcrop with a 2 metre wide swim-through at the top. The general terrain is covered with a…
Cochrane Artificial Reef
by boat - all levels
The reef site is 2.5 nautical miles off the coast and is 800 metres by 400 metres in size. New fish attracting devices are being located there regularly.This is a blue water dive, it's 50 metre long, 350 tonne dredge.You an find two Mohawk Aircraft, and a Beechcraft Aircraft, and many other…
Cod Hole
By boat - All divers
14°39.920S 145°37.500E. North end of Ribbon Reef 'Personal experiences from Peter Stone, author “Diving Australia”'
'What an experience, my first visit to the famous Cod Hole '
'We could see the huge Potatoe Cod lazily cruising near the bottom. Although we were on the…
Comboyuro Drop off
by boat - all levels
A succession of large boulders, sheer walls, ledges and shallow caves can be found on this excellent drift dive site. This is an adventurous 'what's next' type of dive that usually provides an element of the unexpected - sharks, rays, big fish, turtles or sometimes a dugong.
Coral Gardens
By boat - All divers
Very nice Staghorn and Branching corals.
Crystal Cascades
From shore - All divers
Curtin Wrecks
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Sheltered inside Moreton Island this fascinating dive site now comprises over 30 wrecks ranging from barges, yachts, tugs, pontoons and ferries right through to an old Brisbane tram. These have all been sunk since 1968 to now form a huge artificial reef which is the adopted home for some…
Dart Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Davies Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Diamond Islets
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Several islets and pinnacles. Eagle Rays, stingrays and turtles are often seen.
Diane Bank
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Turtles, Sharks, Rays...
Egg Rock
by boat - cmas**/ AOWD
Australia's Best Kept Secret!! - Egg Rock a site of world class diving. It is a Marine National Park ''B'' Zone which means that these islands are totally protected. This location is look and photograph only, and of undisturbed beauty, with wall dives to 30m (100ft) on the seaward side.Words just…
Escape Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Fifth Point
By boat - All divers
pristine coral
Flat Rock
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Many different sites around Flat Rock & Little Flat Rock, usually catering for most experience levels.
Flinders Reef
By boat - All divers
This site is a marine park with no fishing.
The Reef is in great condition with only a small part that has been over dived (mooring #1 & 2), But even here there is still a lot to see.
This site is great diving for all levels with a little something for every one.
Night diving here is up…
Flora Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Great wall with caves
Flynn Reef - Coral Garden
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Flynn Reef - Gordon's mooring
By boat - All divers
Gordon's Mooring has some great swim-throughs and overhangs amongst the variety of smaller bommies. It is very popular with photographers as it boasts a wide range of corals and marine life with plenty of sunlight. Deeper areas of the site provide a stunning blue backdrop for photos. Highlights…
Flynn Reef - Three Sisters
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Lovely dive. White-tip sharks and great drop-off.
Flynn Reef - Tracey's Bommie
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Reef sharks, eagle rays... very nice dive.
Gary's Lagoon
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Gary's Lagoon is well protected, making it a great site for snorkellers and beginner divers. The coral cover is excellent and the lagoon makes for easy diving before venturing into deeper water just outside the entrance. The lagoon is home to all sorts of tropical marine life including large soft…
Gorgonia Hole
By boat - All divers
Mantas, Reef Sharks and Turtles
Gothenburg Wreck
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Gothenburg Wreck is a 60m steel steamer. It sank in 1875.
Great Keppel Island
by boat - all levels
A well sheltered bay located on the North East point of Great Keppel serves as an excellent site accessible in adverse conditions. Great for such dives as Night Diving and Drift Diving. Big Peninsula has a horse shoe shape beach with golden sands and coral gardens, which is a popular location to…
Green Island - New York
By boat - All divers
Hastings Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Henderson's Rock
by boat - all levels
A relatively unexplored granite outcrop with large caves, and overhangs and carpeted with 1 metre strands of golden coloured kelp. This is one of our furthest dive sites and due to its exposed location it is rarely dived during the summer south easterlies. Brilliant for underwater photography (wide…
Herald Cays
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Great corals with Eagle Rays, Reef Sharks
Herald Surprise
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
HMAS Brisbane
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
"The second HMAS Brisbane (D-41) was a Perth class guided missile destroyer laid down by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company at Bay City, Michigan, USA, on 15 February 1965, launched on 5 May 1966, and commissioned on 16 December 1967. She was christened by the wife of the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, who…
HMS Pandora
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
HMS Pandora was a 24-gun frigate of the Royal Navy, built by Adams and Barnard at Deptford, and launched on 17 May 1779. She was deployed in North American waters during the American Revolutionary War but was put 'in ordinary' (mothballed) after 1783.
When the news of the mutiny on the Bounty…
Holmes Reef
By boat - All divers
Keeper Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Enjoy diving or snorkeling on some of the most pristine reefs within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Visit Keeper Reef, northeast of Townsville and explore the myriad of gullies and caves that this reef is famous for. Keeper Reef is an ideal location for certified divers, the novice diver or…
Kelso Reef
By boat - All divers
Great corlas & Snorkelling.
Knuckle Reef
By boat - All divers
Lady Bowen Wreck
by boat - cmas**/ AOWD
The ultimate Great Barrier Reef scuba dive adventure - the Lady Bowen Wreck is a 220ft schooner now over 100 years old. A converted paddle steamer, she hit reef approximately 30 miles from where she eventually sank, no casualties.The Lady Bowen now rests is 34 metres and has become a reef in itself…
Lighthouse Bommie
From shore - CMAS * / OW
Manta Rays, Moray Eels, Schooling Barracuda, White Tip Reef Sharks...
Lithou Reefs
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Reef Sharks, Green Turtles, Stingrays, Eagle Rays...
Little Broadhurst Reef
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Low Isles
By boat - All divers
Luncheon Bay
By boat - All divers
Luncheon bay is a very popular dive location with overnight charter boats operating in the Whitsundays. There is often great visibility and the coral reefs here are completely protcted ensuring huge quantities of fish life and amazing coral formations.The coral formations at Luncheon bay form many…
Mackerel bay
By boat - All divers
Magdelaine Cays
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Man & Wife Rocks
by boat - all levels
Man & Wife located between Outer Rock and Great Keppel Island, features a plateau near the island that is around 6 - 8m (20 - 27ft) in depth. This than drops off to a depth of 18m (60ft) around most of the island. 25m (80ft) is the maximum depth in this area.With good coral in and around 10m…
Manta Ray Bommie
By boat - All divers
Done as a ferry and bus trip to North Stradbroke Island, and dived from a small boat. This is the place to go if you missed seeing a manta at Flinders. Shallow dives to 10 metres with mantas (in the summer months) Leopard sharks and shovel-nosed rays. Very weather dependent dive site.Manta season…
Manta Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Drift dive along the wall: Grey and Whitetip reef sharks, Mantas...
Mantaray bay
By boat - All divers
Mantaray Bay is located at the northern most tip of Hook Island and is in a 'No Fishing one'. The end result is that this section of Hook Island has spectacular corals and fish life. Visibility is often exceptional and it's a very popular snorkel site and occasional dive site for those that make the…
Mantis Reef - Martin`s Mecca
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Good pinnacles covered with hard corals.
Mantis Reef - North Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Grey and Whitetip Sharks and Manta Rays.
Mantis Reef - Rainbow Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Good place to meet pelagics and reef sharks
Michaelmas Reef
By boat - All divers
Milln Reef - Petaj
By boat - All divers
Home to resident sea turtles and white tipped reef sharks, Petaj is an exciting site with some great swim-throughs. The wall of the main 'bommie' is an excellent place to search for tiny, yet colourful nudibranchs - a delight for photographers
Milln Reef - Rainbow
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Milln Reef - Swimming Pools 1
By boat - All divers
A relaxing dive suitable for beginners and intermediate divers, popular for its abundance of fish life in the shallows. A dive amongst the coral outcrops and small 'bommies' over a sandy seabed. Average dive depth is about 10 metres. This is an excellent night dive location with sleeping turtles and…
Milln Reef - The Whale
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Large isolated bommie. Reef sharks, turtles...
Milln Reef -Three sisters
by boat - all levels
Three Sisters are a series of three large bommies lined up at the back of MillnReef. The deepest rises about 33m off the sand and within a metre of the surface. If there's a current start your first dive on the deepest bommie, see a giant school of fusiliers, various snapper and chub. As you go down…
Mobula Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Good drift dive
Moore Reef
By boat - All divers
This is a large reef rich with life. It offers sheltered coral gardens. Operators work mainly in the back reef area, and all have similar dives.
Mudjimba Island
By boat - All divers
One of the richest undersea dives in Queensland!
Murphy's Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
One of the best dive site of the area.
Myrmidon Reef
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Fantastic coral garden with great sealife.
Norman Reef - Bobs Bommie
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Nice reef with sharks and turtles.
Norman Reef - Caves
By boat - All divers
Norman Reef - Clipper
By boat - All divers
Norman Reef - Plate Top
By boat - All divers
Norman Reef - Pontoon
By boat - All divers
Training dive site; mainly for Intro divers and snorkelling.
Awesome huge Humpheaded Maori Wrasse called Wally - very friendly & loves divers!!!
Norman Reef - Troppo's
By boat - All divers
Norman Reef - Turtle Bay
By boat - All divers
North East Wall - Gold Coast Seaway
By boat - All divers
North Horn
By boat - CMAS * / OW
White tip reef sharks, silvertip and grey reef shark, potato cod, morays
North Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Grey Reef Sharks, barracuda
Northern Small Detached Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Grey and Whitetip Reef Sharks.
Osprey Reef
by boat - all levels
Osprey Reef is frequently visited by long range dive boats out of Cairns and is one of the most interesting of the Coral Sea Reefs. The 27km by 4m atoll shaped reef lies 140km east of Lizard Island and 115km east of the Great Barrier Reef. The depth surrounding the reef is around 2000m. The reef top…
Outer Rock
by boat - all levels
Located eight miles north east of Great Keppel Island, Outer Rock is a large isolated rock rising up to 20 metres. There are four main area's that we dive. On the northern side is a well sheltered bay which gives protection and excellent diving. To the east, a large rock runs northwards starting at…
Pams Point
By boat - All divers
Manta Ray dive and big blue grouper. This is common to drift from Pams Point to Heron Bommie
Pellowe Reef - Cucumber Alley
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Small isolated reef; great wall; pelagics.
Pixie Gardens
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Pixie Pinnacle
By boat - CMAS * / OW
large coral bommie with lot of hard and soft corals.
Point Cartwright
From shore - All divers
Poor condictions but great for beginers of with the kids snorkling. Only if there is no surf!!
Predators Playgound
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
A true shark dive: Grey Sharks, Whitetip reef Sharks, Tiger Sharks and even Hammerhead Sharks.
Raine Island
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Raine Island hosts a large number of Green Turtles. You may see the Tiger Sharks if you're lucky :)
Ribbon Reef #10 - Cod Hole
By boat - All divers
This dive site is well known for its large potato cods (6-30 kg !). They are feed and so very friendly ;-)
Ribbon Reef #10 - Pixies Pinnacle
By boat - All divers
Pixies Pinnacle is a great dive site for photographers. A large coral bommie with small caves. One of the best spot of the GBR ever !
Rock Arch
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Great wall with gorgonians, sea whips... There are numerous caves into the wall.
Sand Pipe - Gold Coast Seaway
From shore - All divers
Saxon reef - Coral Garden
By boat & from shore - All divers
Saxon reef - Twin Peaks
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Nice sandy lagoon with boomies. Great marine life. Small caves, turtles, reef sharks.
Scuba Zoo
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
A true shark dive: A lot of Whitetip Reef sharks, Grey Reef Sharks and Silvertip Reef Sharks.
Shag Rock
By boat - All divers
Wobbiegong Sharks, turtles, octopus, tropical fish, sea slugs etc.
Shark City
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
The place to meet dozens of sharks: Whitetip, Silvertip, Grey reef sharks...
Ship Wreck Bay
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Shrimp Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Great coral garden with Whitetip Reef Sharks
South Horne
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South-West Wall - Gold Coast Seaway
By boat & from shore - All divers
Muck dive area with interesting sea life.
Southern Small Detached Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Fantastic wall ! Eagle Rays, Mantas, Leopard Sharks...
Spot X
by boat - all levels
East of Flinders Reef is a huge granite outcrop from about 16m down to 30m. Features red soft corals, black coral, fans and crayfish.
SS Yongala
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
SS Yongala was a steel passenger and freight steamer, owned by the Adelaide Steamship Company. SS Yongala and her sistership, Grantala, were built in Newcastle upon Tyne, England between 1903 - 1904 Yongala was named after the town Yongala, in South Australia.
En route from Melbourne to Cairns on…
Staghorn Banks
By boat - All divers
Great staghorn coral
Star Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Stead Passage
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
A large pinnacle with barracuda, sharks...
Steves Bommie
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Sudburry East Wall
By boat - All divers
Swimming pools
By boat - All divers
A relaxing dive suitable for beginners and intermediate divers, popular for its abundance of fish life in the shallows. A dive amongst the coral outcrops and small 'bommies' over a sandy seabed. Average dive depth is about 10 metres. This is an excellent night dive location with sleeping turtles and…
Tangalooma Wrecks
By boat & from shore - All divers
A shallow dive on partially submerged wrecks. Normally calm but tidal waters sheltered by Moretone Island. Good fish life, excellent for novices and snorkellers.
Temple of Doom
By boat - CMAS * / OW
A 30m in diameter pinnacle with barracudas, rays and sharks.
The Abyss
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Fantastic wall dive.
The Cathedral
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
great dive located just inside the well known stepping stones. it has a huge (cathedral) opening which narrows slowly as you enter, which leads to a small network of tunnels.
The Chimney
By boat - CMAS *** / Rescue
A very dificult dive not for the faint hearted..it starts in a shallow 6ft of water with waves often crashing over the surface, so timing is essential. at first you must fight the strong currents till you reach the opening of the chimney shute. Then the current tends to push you down through the…
The Pin
By boat - All divers
Lots of fish, turtles, and nudibranchs!
The Quetta Wreck
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
RMS Quetta was a 116 m long passenger liner. She sunk in 1890 and now lies on her port side.
The Stepping Stones
By boat - All divers
Stepping Stones, off Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, is a series of 18 or more flat-topped coral pinnacles forming "stepping stones" with many interesting channels and caves to explore. Large areas of plate coral with fields of blue staghorn, schools of Batfish, Giant Maori wrasse,…
Thetford Reef - Cathedrals
By boat - All divers
This reef offers deep canyons as well as bommies: almost 2km long reef with scattered coral heads. Between the bommies sandy floors are covered with smaller coral patches. Take a long safety sausage as its easy to become disorientated.
Tijou Reef
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Tregrosse Reefs
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Turtles and Tawny Nurse Sharks.
Underwater World
From shore - All divers
Watanabe Bommie
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Giant bommies with great corals. Shoals of barracudas, Grey Reef Sharks...
Wave Break Island - Gold Coast Seaway
By boat - All divers
Dive first Seagrass Bed and go to the Canyon.
Willies Islets
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Wistari Reef - Three Rocks
By boat - All divers
Three Rocks is a little sandy bay (7-20m)
Wolf Rock
By boat & from shore - CMAS ** / AOW
Oct-Feb is the best time to see Gray Nurse Sharks, being the mating season (30+ sharks).
During the summer months you can see 50+ gray nurse sharks on a single dive.
You will spend most of your time on the bottom (30+meters) with the sharks at only arms length away.
Lots of BIG stuff to see as…
Wonderland
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
very nice drop-off with a lot of gorgonians.
Yaroomba reef
From shore - CMAS * / OW
dont go out if big waves r breaking because rouge wave will get on the dry roks