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
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Totem (Agincourt Reef)
A coral spike rising from the seafloor beside an anemone-filled garden.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
Triple D
One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…
Details need confirmation
IslandHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Tryon Island Reef
An undeveloped 11-hectare nesting cay with a good snorkel reef, reached only at high tide.
Details need confirmation
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Tug Melbourne (Curtin Artificial Reef)
The central tug of Curtin reef and the natural hub for a wreck-to-wreck dive.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
Tunnels (Gneerings)
One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…
Details need confirmation
ReefFar Northern Reef & Torres Strait
Turmoil (Great Detached Reef)
Vast hard coral fields sloping to 30 m on remote Great Detached Reef.
Details need confirmation
ReefPort Douglas
Turtle Bay (Tongue Reef Sister reefs)
Named resident green turtles in a bay beside a major reef gap, with occasional hammerheads.
Details need confirmation
ReefLady Elliot Island
Turtle Beds (Lady Elliot Island)
Coral hollows worn into 'beds' by resting turtles.
Details need confirmation
ReefGold Coast
Turtle Point
A Palm Beach Reef site in 14-16 m where turtles are regularly encountered.
Details need confirmation
ReefBundaberg & 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.
Details need confirmation
WreckFar Northern Reef & Torres Strait
Volga wreck
Rarely visited iron-ship debris field in the shallows, patrolled by schooling fish.
Details need confirmation
Pinnacle/BommieHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Walts Bommie (Heron Island)
Scattered bommies on white sand at 14 m, with turtles and reef sharks.
Details need confirmation
WallCairns
Wild Side (Milln Reef)
The rarely dived weather side of Milln, with big bommies, clear water and bigger fish.
Details need confirmation
ReefPort Douglas
Wild West (Opal Reef)
Small, shallow reef with cuttlefish, rays and turtles that links easily with Blue Buoy.
Details need confirmation
IslandHeron Island & Capricorn Group
Wilson Island Reef
A small nesting cay just north of Heron, visited on Capricorn liveaboard itineraries for easy fringing-reef diving.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
Wonderland (Gneerings)
One of the lesser-documented named reef sites in the Mooloolaba operators' rotation – a chance to dive typical Gneering Shoals…
Details need confirmation
Jetty/PierBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Woody Point Jetty
A wide, historic fishing jetty on Bramble Bay offering a short northside critter dive on a clear high tide.
Details need confirmation
ReefPort Douglas
Your Place (Agincourt Reef)
Out to the reef tip for sharks and turtles, back through a maze of coral ridges.
Details need confirmation