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
ReefGold Coast
80 Foot Reef
A pink coffee-rock reef at 25 m, named by local pioneers and frequently visited by feeding dolphins.
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Aarhus Wreck
Scattered remains of an 1875 Hamburg-built barque that hit Smith Rock three times and sank in 12 minutes, with the bow section…
WallCairns
Alan's Wall (Norman Reef)
An 18 m wall riddled with crevices and swim-throughs, with sharks and Maori wrasse.
WallWhitsundays & Bowen
Alcyonaria Point (Hook Island)
Vertical ledge and wall with gullies, small caves and a band of colourful soft corals at 10 m.
Shore/Rock PlatformNorth Stradbroke Island
Amity Point
Island's sheltered shore drift: a low wall with car bodies, tyres and the scuttled launch Bandicoot, plus wobbegongs and dolphins.
ReefCairns
Angel Bommie (Hastings Reef)
A sandy staghorn bay with sea stars and angelfish, and a bommie with a deep far edge.
WreckGold Coast
Aquarian Wreck
A small, intact 1986 trawler wreck in 14 m, known for resting blind sharks, wobbegongs and shovelnose rays.
ReefCairns
Arlington Reef
A short half-day pontoon trip to a big, sheltered reef with potato cod, Maori wrasse and coral gardens.
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Arthur Bay (Magnetic Island)
Pretty bay with coral-covered boulders, small caverns and swim-throughs, and reliable turtles on the northern side.
WallTownsville & Magnetic Island
Balding Bay (Magnetic Island)
Sheltered 7 m wall on a secluded bay with no current – the calm-weather fallback for Orchard Rocks.
ReefCairns
Banana Bommie (Michaelmas Reef)
A sheltered coral patch behind Michaelmas Cay with turtles and the chance of manta rays.
WreckBundaberg & Agnes Water
Barcoola Wreck
A 1994 trawler in 44 m buried in baitfish, with big cod, gropers and bronze whalers – locals rate the fish life above the Yongala.
IslandCapricorn Coast & Keppel Islands
Barren Island
Outer-edge Keppel island with the region's best visibility, terraced ledges to 30 m, tunnels full of big cod, and passing…
ReefSunshine Coast
Barwon Banks
The Sunshine Coast's deep offshore bank: caves and ledges from 22 m, gorgonians and black coral, pelagic schools and big sharks,…
ReefCapricorn Coast & Keppel Islands
Big Peninsula (Great Keppel Island)
Sheltered, shallow and close to the dive base – Great Keppel's go-to site for training, night dives and gentle drifts.
WallCairns
Big Wall (Norman Reef)
A wall from 4 m to 28 m with finger-like formations carved by wind and waves.
IslandWhitsundays & Bowen
Black Island (Bali Hai)
Easy entry from the north-western corner to scattered coral heads on the island's west reef.
ReefPort Douglas
Blue Buoy (Opal Reef)
Reliable turtle encounters plus pipefish and razorfish; can be linked with Wild West.
ReefCairns
Blue Lagoon (Hastings Reef)
Coral terraces and walls on Hastings' southern side, with elephant-ear corals hiding shrimps.
ReefRibbon Reefs & Lizard Island
Blue Lagoon (Lizard Island)
Calm, shallow lagoon with layered coral, reached by a short walking track.
WallCairns
Boulders (Flynn Reef)
Flynn's current wall, with active fish life on the face and giant clams on the shallow reef top.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Brennan Shoal
A quieter twin of Roberts Shoal, with pinnacles, big caves and schools of pelagics.
ReefCairns
Briggs Reef
A lightly dived reef with large plate corals and calm inside moorings, used mainly by a snorkel operator.
IslandMission Beach & Cassowary Coast
Brook Islands
Some of the largest and oldest coral formations recorded on the reef, beside a huge pied imperial-pigeon colony.