Outer Gneerings

Meet the site

The Outer Gneering Shoals lie further offshore than the Inner Gneerings, about 30 minutes by boat from Mooloolaba. SubSurface Scuba describes an average depth of 18 m and a maximum of 25 m, visibility of around 15 m, and terrain of rock and boulder formations with spreads of coral. Scuba Diver Life notes heavier coral growth and bigger fish than on the inner reef.

The extra distance buys clearer water and more pelagic action. SubSurface lists pelagic fish in winter, along with wobbegongs, leatherjackets, baitfish, angelfish, wrasse, butterflyfish and urchins. The best-known site on the outer reef is Magic Mountain, a complex of outcrops, gullies, swim-throughs and pinnacles in about 25 m that has its own row in this database.

SubSurface recommends the outer reef for Open Water and Advanced divers only, and in practice the depth, current and exposure make it a better fit for divers with some experience; Open Water divers should stay within their 18 m limit and a guide. Because the site is more exposed than the inner shoals, operators visit it on calmer days.

For divers who have done the Inner Gneerings and Mudjimba, the Outer Gneerings are the natural next step: bigger topography, bigger fish and better visibility, while still within a half-hour of the Mooloolaba wharf. Winter is the best season, when visibility is at its clearest and pelagic schools move along the coast; humpback whales pass the reef between June and October and are often seen on the run out. In summer the outer reef sees warmer water and leopard sharks, but more plankton and afternoon northerly winds.

What you might see

Pelagic fish (winter), wobbegongs, leatherjackets, baitfish, angelfish, wrasse, butterflyfish, morwong, batfish, gropers, urchins, soft and hard corals

Location

Deeper reef system seaward of the Inner Gneerings off Mooloolaba, about 30 minutes by boat, with boulders, rocky outcrops and coral in 15-25 m+.

Facilities nearby

Departure: The Wharf, Mooloolaba