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
ReefHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Plate Ledge (Heron Island)
A broad sloping site of gutters and channels with big gorgonian fans and a chance of sharks and mantas.
WreckTownsville & Magnetic Island
Platypus Dredge Wreck (Arthur Bay)
Coral-encrusted steam boilers of an early Townsville harbour dredge in a quiet rocky cove, swarmed by angelfish and sergeant…
ReefCairns
Point Break (Flynn Reef)
Calm, clear water in a current eddy with compact coral bommies; the northerly-wind option on Flynn.
Shore/Rock PlatformSunshine Coast
Point Cartwright
A rock-platform snorkel and shore dive at the Mooloolah River mouth with regular nudibranch and cowrie finds.
Pinnacle/BommieHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Polmaise Bommies
Overhangs and swim-throughs in 16-20 m on a remote Capricorn reef, paired with the shallow Tambaroora wreck nearby.
ReefCairns
Pretty Patches
An untouched patch reef open to only two operators, with tightly grouped bommies and common turtles.
ReefFar Northern Reef & Torres Strait
Raine Island
The world's largest green turtle rookery – dozens of turtles per dive and a chance of tiger sharks on pristine outer reef.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Roberts Shoal
A 'ruined cathedral' of arches, spires and caves just off the Cape Moreton lighthouse.
ReefHervey Bay & K'gari
Rooney Point Snail Mounds (K'gari)
Rare vermetid snail mounds at 28-32 m off K'gari's north-western tip, riddled with holes and full of fish – identified in 1988…
Shore/Rock PlatformWhitsundays & Bowen
Rose Bay (Bowen)
Easy access to dense staghorn thickets and abundant nudibranchs at the northern end of the bay.
ReefRainbow Beach
Round Rock & Nursery Reef
Ray central: 15+ rays on a typical dive around a compact rock monolith in 6-16 m, with a cave at its eastern end.
Artificial ReefHervey Bay & K'gari
Roy Rufus Artificial Reef
Hervey Bay's signature dive: historic hulls, barges and car bodies scattered over about 3 km² off Big Woody Island, three ships…
WreckHeron Island & Capricorn Group
SS Cooma Wreck (North Reef)
A 1926 passenger steamer's boilers, shaft and triple-expansion engine in 5 m on North Reef.
WreckTownsville & Magnetic Island
SS Gothenburg Wreck (Old Reef)
Boilers, oscillating engines and iron frames of the Gothenburg, lost in 1875 with about 102 lives – one of Australia's worst…
ReefWhitsundays & Bowen
Saba Bay (Hook Island)
Coral-studded northern end with bommies, swim-throughs and shallow canyons – a northerly-weather favourite.
ReefPort Douglas
Sandbox (Opal Reef)
Shallow staghorn gardens and sand patches with a resident barracuda school – a relaxed final dive.
ReefCairns
Sandra's (Norman Reef)
A shallow shelf of white sand and coral bommies above a deep wall, with humphead parrotfish and a friendly Maori wrasse.
ReefCairns
Sandra's (Saxon Reef)
A sandy bay of coral islands with many anemonefish species and resting whitetip sharks – excellent for snorkellers.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Sandra's Peaks (Saxon Reef)
Twin coral peaks and a fish-filled valley a short swim offshore from Sandra's shallow bay.
ReefCairns
Saxon Coral Gardens
A gentle coral slope to sand with garden eels, juvenile fish in the Fishbowl and occasional pygmy seahorses.
WallCairns
Saxon Wall
Saxon's exposed Wild Side: a steep bank into a deep wall with wobbegongs under the ledges.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Scattered Bommies (Lady Elliot Island)
Coral heads on sand between the Severance and Lighthouse Bommies where leopard and shovelnose sharks rest and mantas pass.
WallWhitsundays & Bowen
Shark Alley (Hardy Reef)
Current-swept wall on Hardy Reef with reef sharks and whalers, and occasional hammerheads and tigers.
ReefLady Elliot Island
Shark Pool (Lady Elliot Island)
Time it with the incoming tide and watch dozens of reef sharks push into the shallows.