Pixie Wall

Meet the site

Pixie Wall is the most reliable manta ray cleaning station on the Ribbon Reefs, according to Mike Ball's photographers' guide, and in summer crews schedule it first thing in the morning to catch the mantas while they queue for cleaners. The wall lies close to Pixie Pinnacle between Ribbon Reefs No. 9 and 10.

The structure has more variety than a plain drop-off. The reef flat is packed with small Acropora colonies, and the wall below carries a large Pavona clavus colony, big red gorgonian fans at about 10 m and large Tubastraea (black sun coral) trees between 10 and 25 m. Glassfish shelter in the gaps, and anemonefish, including spinecheek and pink species, live in the shallows.

The mantas are shy. Mike Ball's guides advise keeping strobes on low power and staying still; approaching them directly usually sends them away. Once they settle into the cleaning routine they may make repeated passes. Beyond the mantas, grey reef sharks, Queensland grouper and chevron barracuda patrol the wall, leafy scorpionfish and nudibranchs are regular, and cuttlefish frequent the main reef.

Outside the summer manta season Pixie Wall is still a satisfying wall dive, with the Tubastraea trees and fans making good wide-angle subjects. It suits intermediate divers with good buoyancy, and split shots are possible at the lowest tides. Its proximity to Pixie Pinnacle, Pixie Gardens and Pixie's Caves means crews can combine several in a day, often starting at the wall at dawn for mantas and moving to the pinnacle later in the morning.

What you might see

Manta rays (summer cleaning station), grey reef sharks, Queensland grouper, chevron barracuda, leafy scorpionfish, glassfish, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, spinecheek and pink anemonefish; Pavona clavus, red gorgonians, Tubastraea trees

Location

A reef wall and reef flat near Pixie Pinnacle between Ribbon Reefs No. 9 and 10, with a summer manta ray cleaning station.