Queensland
Diving in Brisbane & Moreton Bay
Brisbane's diving is better than most visitors expect. Flinders Reef, off the northern tip of Moreton Island, has more coral species than many outer-reef sites and resident turtles and wobbegongs; the Tangalooma Wrecks are 15 scuttled vessels you can snorkel from the beach; the Curtin Artificial Reef is a 30-year collection of scuttled boats and cars off Cowan; and Cherubs Cave and Henderson Rock on the east side of Moreton hold grey nurse sharks in winter.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Brisbane & Moreton Bay
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 34 published site records in Brisbane & Moreton Bay. The recorded categories include wreck (10), reef (6), artificial reef (5), wall (4). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Brisbane & Moreton Bay site cards to compare recorded access and depth, then open the individual pages for the map accuracy and source notes. Sites grouped in a region are not necessarily close enough to combine in one day.
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 →Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Brisbane & Moreton Bay?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 34 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 Brisbane & Moreton Bay 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.
Dive sites in this region
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Curtin Artificial Reef
The world's first diver-built artificial reef – 30+ wrecks, a Brisbane tram and resident giant Queensland groupers.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Flinders Reef
Highest coral diversity of any subtropical reef on the east coast and Brisbane's best-known dive; the turtle cleaning station in…
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Tangalooma Wrecks
Fifteen rusting dredges and barges scuttled 1963-84, many breaking the surface, with 100+ fish species in 1-12 m – Queensland's…
WallBrisbane & Moreton Bay
The Pines
A 500 m coffee-rock wall best dived as a drift on the incoming tide, packed with wobbegongs, turtles and schooling fish.
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…
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Brennan Shoal
A quieter twin of Roberts Shoal, with pinnacles, big caves and schools of pelagics.
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Bulwer Wrecks
Three 1880s-1900-built steamers scuttled in 1933-35 as a breakwater, now an easy shallow snorkel off Bulwer beach.
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Cementco Wreck
An inverted ex-Army support ship and coral barge north-east of Flinders Reef, with crayfish-lined interiors and big groupers.
Cave/CavernBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Cherubs Cave
A 20 x 15 m cave with six exits, surrounded by gullies where grey nurse sharks gather in winter.
WallBrisbane & Moreton Bay
China Wall
A sheer granite wall topped by kelp and a 2 m swim-through, with crayfish, fans and pelagics on Moreton's ocean side.
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef
One of Australia's oldest artificial reefs (1975), with the 24 m Tiwi Pearl scuttled in 2010 – but diving is currently prohibited.
Pinnacle/BommieBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Hendersons Rock
Granite pinnacle, kelp beds and a long gutter where grey nurse sharks gather in winter – one of Brisbane's best, least visited…
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Hutchison Shoal
Rarely dived shoal with spectacular drop-offs, caves and ravines and masses of pelagic fish.
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Marietta Dal Wreck
Tractors and machinery from a 1950 wreck scattered around a 50 m propeller shaft in only 13 m.
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
North Moreton Artificial Reef
A purpose-built pelagic fishing and freediving reef of concrete fish boxes at the northern entrance to Moreton Bay.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Peel Island – Horseshoe Bay
Shallow fringing reefs and the beached 1883 bucket dredge Platypus at a historic island anchorage.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Roberts Shoal
A 'ruined cathedral' of arches, spires and caves just off the Cape Moreton lighthouse.
Pinnacle/BommieBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Smiths Rock
Granite pinnacles with swim-throughs and caverns on the rock that sank the Aarhus, St Paul and Marietta Dal.
WreckBrisbane & Moreton Bay
St Paul Wreck
A 1912 French steamer lost with 18 lives in 1914, with twin boilers, engine and propeller intact at 38-43 m.
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Turner Artificial Reef
A shallow, permitted-dive artificial reef of engineered concrete modules five minutes from Scarborough boat ramp.
ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Turtle Cleaning Station (Flinders Reef)
Turtles queueing at a coral bommie in about 5 m to be cleaned by surgeonfish and wrasse – close-range turtle behaviour in…
Artificial ReefBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Wild Banks Artificial Reef
Eleven-metre-tall steel fish caves in 35 m of blue water that draw pelagic fish – a freediving and fishing reef where scuba is…
Cave/CavernBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Alden's Cave (Flinders Reef)
A short, sunlit swim-through cave with an opening in its roof – an easy first cave experience on Brisbane's best coral reef.
Details need confirmationJetty/PierBrisbane & Moreton Bay
Bongaree Jetty (Bribie Island)
A historic 1912 steamer jetty on the Pumicestone Passage for a short slack-water critter dive.
Details need confirmation