AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS

Diving in Queensland

Explore 594 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.

Open my trips →Estimate trip costs →

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

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

  1. Which port and vessel will run our trip?
  2. Is the named reef a likely itinerary or a confirmed destination?
  3. 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

Find local operators
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait

Auriga Bay (Southern Small Detached Reef)

Sheltered checkout dive on Southern Small Detached Reef at the start of far-north expeditions.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Sunshine Coast

Aussie's Reef (Gneering Shoals)

An easy, shallow Gneering Shoals reef with coral growth.

BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Capricorn Coast & Keppel Islands

Bald Rock (Keppels)

A south-coast rock reef with plate corals, black coral trees and resident batfish and wobbegongs.

Boat (day trip)Up to 16 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWreck

Bundaberg & Agnes Water

Barjon Wreck

A small 1986 fishing-boat wreck that concentrates fish on a bare silt bottom.

BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Batt Reef

Large reef off Port Douglas, notable as the site of Steve Irwin's death in 2006; rarely dived.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteAircraft Wreck

Bundaberg & Agnes Water

Beaufort Bomber A9-322 Wreck

A Second World War RAAF Beaufort crash site lost on Christmas Eve 1943 – scattered remains for aviation-history enthusiasts.

BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Beautiful Mooring (Opal Reef)

Calm snorkel site with delicate staghorn thickets and several species of anemonefish.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Big Brother (Tongue Reef Sister reefs)

Current-swept reef corner with healthy coral, giant clams and big barracuda.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Sunshine Coast

Big Plates

An easy reef of large plate corals and small overhangs.

BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Ribbon Reefs & Lizard Island

Big Softy

A soft-coral-covered wall dived as a drift with reef sharks and seasonal mantas.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 30 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait

Big Woody (Great Detached / Wood Reef)

Reef peninsula with a cave, soft-coral walls and a current-swept point.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteIsland

Hervey Bay & K'gari

Big Woody Island Fringing Reef

Sheltered shallow fringes of the island beside the Roy Rufus reef – an easy, low-key second dive.

BoatUp to 12 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteIsland

Whitsundays & Bowen

Bird Island (Whitsundays)

Current-swept island drift with large cod, sweetlip and trevally along a rock and rubble slope.

Boat (day trip)Up to 15 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Whitsundays & Bowen

Black Reef (Whitsundays)

A quieter outer reef on Whitsunday liveaboard itineraries, away from the day-boat crowds.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 25 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Blue Lagoon (Agincourt Reef)

A rarely visited, hard-to-reach lagoon dived only in perfect conditions.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Blue Lagoon (Opal Reef)

Calm, shallow lagoon coral gardens visited only on the right tide.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Ribbon Reefs & Lizard Island

Blue Lagoon (Ribbon Reefs)

A shallow southern Ribbon Reef coral garden with big Porites boulders and cuttlefish.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 20 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Swain Reefs

Blue Line Lagoon (Swain Reefs)

A circular reef and drop-off at the northern limit of southern charters, with sharks, grouper and sea snakes.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 30 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteJetty/Pier

Brisbane & Moreton Bay

Bongaree Jetty (Bribie Island)

A historic 1912 steamer jetty on the Pumicestone Passage for a short slack-water critter dive.

ShoreUp to 6 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait

Boulder Reef (Cooktown)

Almost undived reefs off Australia's closest mainland port to the Great Barrier Reef.

Boat (day trip)Up to 20 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Lady Musgrave & Bunker Group

Boult Reef

Remote northern Bunker reef with bommies, ledges and caves visited by Maori wrasse, nurse sharks and mantas.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 25 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Townsville & Magnetic Island

Bowl Reef

Gorgonian fans and sea whips on the drop-offs, caves, eagle rays and a good night dive in the shallows.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 30 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteIsland

Mackay

Brampton Island

Former resort island with sheltered beaches and shallow fringing reef for snorkelling in the Cumberland Islands National Park.

BoatUp to 8 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Sunshine Coast

Brays Rock

A Caloundra rock reef favoured by spearfishers, with basic diving along the reef towards Kings Beach.

Shore or BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation