AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS
Diving in Queensland
Explore 594 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Choose your reef gateway before your accommodation
Queensland research starts with the departure region. Cairns and Port Douglas, the southern reef islands, Townsville and the south-east coast appear in different parts of this directory. Treat them as separate trip choices: being in Queensland does not put every reef or wreck within reach of the same boat. Work from a proposed operator itinerary back to your accommodation and transfers.
Choose the setting, then the trip Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 594 published site records across Queensland. The recorded categories include reef (290), pinnacle/bommie (73), wall (70), wreck (52). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Start with one of the regional pages below. State-wide totals are useful for browsing, but the actual choice should be made at the level of an operator, a site and a proposed itinerary.
Research operators in Queensland →Ask before booking
- Which port and vessel will run our trip?
- Is the named reef a likely itinerary or a confirmed destination?
- What changes if our island transfer or boat departure moves?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Northern reef gateways
Compare Cairns and Port Douglas by the actual departure, return time and proposed trip. Ask which sites are possibilities rather than fixed promises.
Islands and southern reef
For island-based trips, confirm how arrival transfers connect with the diving schedule and what equipment must be reserved.
South-east Queensland
Use the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and island region pages to distinguish boat departures, shore access and wreck-related records.
Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Queensland?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 594 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit Queensland for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: Tourism and Events Queensland — accessing the Great Barrier Reef ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Find your region
Dive sites to explore
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef
One of Australia's oldest artificial reefs (1975), with the 24 m Tiwi Pearl scuttled in 2010 – but diving is currently prohibited.
Pinnacle/BommieHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Harry's Bommie (Heron Island)
Bommie after bommie through hard coral forests, with surprises like giant starry puffers and tawny nurse sharks.
ReefWhitsundays & Bowen
Hayman Island – East Reef
Excellent shallow coral cut by small canyons, rarely visited because it is only accessible on glassy calm days.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Helix Reef
Green-zone reef surrounded by deep blue water with a steep face, prolific fish and ribbon eels.
DriftPort Douglas
Helm's Deep Drift (Agincourt Reef 2)
Tidal channel drift between Agincourt reefs 2A and 2B with grey reef sharks, turtles and barramundi cod.
Pinnacle/BommieBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Hendersons Rock
Granite pinnacle, kelp beds and a long gutter where grey nurse sharks gather in winter – one of Brisbane's best, least visited…
Pinnacle/BommieWhitsundays & Bowen
Henry's Bommie (Fairey Reef)
Sheltered bommie rising almost to the surface, with a metre-wide giant clam in a cave and a resident turtle at night.
Shore/Rock PlatformBundaberg & Agnes Water
Hoffman's Rocks
'Nudibranch Park' – the Woongarra Coast's richest macro site, with soft-coral bommies, a gentle current that brings in eagle…
ReefHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Hole in the Wall (Heron Island)
Swim through a two-diver-wide hole in the reef and drift to Paradise Bommie, where strong currents bring in mantas, eagle rays…
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Hutchison Shoal
Rarely dived shoal with spectacular drop-offs, caves and ravines and masses of pelagic fish.
ReefSunshine Coast
Inner Gneerings
The Sunshine Coast's core reef system, 15 minutes from Mooloolaba: gutters, ledges, caves and pinnacles with outstanding…
WallPort Douglas
Izzy's Wall (Agincourt Reef 2)
Steep 5–30 m wall with juvenile grey reef sharks and turtles; often run as a drift.
WallLady Musgrave & Bunker Group
Jeff's Edge (Lady Musgrave)
A drift along an outer wall of overhangs, caves and crevices, with sharks, rays and turtles off the edge.
WallRibbon Reefs & Lizard Island
Joanie's Joy
An easy wall-and-bommie dive covering 3–30 m with cuttlefish, turtles and whitetips.
WreckBundaberg & Agnes Water
Karma Wreck
An intact, upright 42 m barge in 27 m with an open hold, crane and two-level bridge, guarded by giant estuary cod and schools of…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Keeper Reef
A maze of coral ridges, bommies and swim-throughs in shallow water – easy depths but real navigation interest, and very good…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Kelso Reef
Shallow coral gardens and drop-offs on a quiet, rarely visited mid-shelf reef north of the Palm Islands.
Shore/Rock PlatformSunshine Coast
Kings Beach (Caloundra)
An easy boat-ramp entry onto a shallow soft-coral reef at Kings Beach, with 40+ fish species, wobbegongs and turtles on calm,…
ReefGold Coast
Kirra Reef
A kelp-covered shore reef 400 m off Kirra Beach, rich in macro life, reached through the surf.
ReefWhitsundays & Bowen
Knuckle Reef Lagoon
Sheltered lagoon bommies and coral gardens on a remote outer reef, once a pontoon site, now a liveaboard stop.
WreckMission Beach & Cassowary Coast
Lady Bowen wreck
An 1894 iron sailing ship, once a paddle steamer, sitting upright in 34 m and home to big groupers – the Cassowary Coast's…
ReefWhitsundays & Bowen
Langford Reef (Langford Island)
Scattered bommies, turtles and the 6.5 m stainless-steel Turtle Dream sculpture off the Langford Spit.
ReefHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Libby's Lair (Heron Island)
A shallow, low-current maze of Porites pinnacles where morays, cleaning stations and the vivid Elizabeth's chromodoris hide.
WallWhitsundays & Bowen
Line Reef
A good drift along a coral wall of gullies and deep ledges in the Hardy Reef complex.