AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS

Diving in Queensland

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

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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 sitePinnacle/Bommie

Port Douglas

Totem (Agincourt Reef)

A coral spike rising from the seafloor beside an anemone-filled garden.

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

Sunshine Coast

Triple D

One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…

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

Heron Island & Capricorn Group

Tryon Island Reef

An undeveloped 11-hectare nesting cay with a good snorkel reef, reached only at high tide.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 15 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWreck

Brisbane & Moreton Bay

Tug Melbourne (Curtin Artificial Reef)

The central tug of Curtin reef and the natural hub for a wreck-to-wreck dive.

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

Sunshine Coast

Tunnels (Gneerings)

One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…

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

Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait

Turmoil (Great Detached Reef)

Vast hard coral fields sloping to 30 m on remote Great Detached Reef.

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

Port Douglas

Turtle Bay (Tongue Reef Sister reefs)

Named resident green turtles in a bay beside a major reef gap, with occasional hammerheads.

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

Lady Elliot Island

Turtle Beds (Lady Elliot Island)

Coral hollows worn into 'beds' by resting turtles.

Boat (day trip)Up to 12 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Gold Coast

Turtle Point

A Palm Beach Reef site in 14-16 m where turtles are regularly encountered.

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

Bundaberg & Agnes Water

Two Mile Rocks (Bargara)

A small, self-contained offshore reef you can circle in one dive, bright with sponges and only 10 minutes from Burnett Heads.

BoatUp to 15 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWreck

Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait

Volga wreck

Rarely visited iron-ship debris field in the shallows, patrolled by schooling fish.

Boat (day trip)Up to 10 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the sitePinnacle/Bommie

Heron Island & Capricorn Group

Walts Bommie (Heron Island)

Scattered bommies on white sand at 14 m, with turtles and reef sharks.

Boat (day trip)Up to 14 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Cairns

Wild Side (Milln Reef)

The rarely dived weather side of Milln, with big bommies, clear water and bigger fish.

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

Port Douglas

Wild West (Opal Reef)

Small, shallow reef with cuttlefish, rays and turtles that links easily with Blue Buoy.

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

Heron Island & Capricorn Group

Wilson Island Reef

A small nesting cay just north of Heron, visited on Capricorn liveaboard itineraries for easy fringing-reef diving.

Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)Up to 18 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Sunshine Coast

Wonderland (Gneerings)

One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…

BoatDepth not recorded
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteJetty/Pier

Brisbane & Moreton Bay

Woody Point Jetty

A wide, historic fishing jetty on Bramble Bay offering a short northside critter dive on a clear high tide.

ShoreUp to 5 m
Details need confirmation
QLDYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Port Douglas

Your Place (Agincourt Reef)

Out to the reef tip for sharks and turtles, back through a maze of coral ridges.

Boat (day trip)Depth not recorded
Details need confirmation