Queensland
Diving in Cairns
Cairns is the busiest dive hub in Australia. Day boats leave every morning for the outer reef sites 60–90 minutes offshore: Norman, Saxon, Hastings, Flynn, Milln, Thetford and Moore reefs, each with a handful of moored sites in 5–25 m, gentle coral gardens, turtles, reef sharks and, on the better sites, giant clams and Maori wrasse. Liveaboards leave from here for the Ribbon Reefs and the Coral Sea.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Cairns
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.
Use Cairns as a departure base, then choose the actual reef trip
A Cairns accommodation booking does not identify which reef itinerary you will join. Compare the operator’s meeting point, transfer inclusion and expected time away before choosing where to stay. Ask how introductory activities, certified diving and snorkelling are organised if your party has different interests. The regional site list is useful for learning names and comparing records, but should not be treated as a promise that a day boat visits every listed reef.
One useful question: Which of the reefs in your proposed itinerary can realistically be reached on this departure, and what could change?
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 82 published site records in Cairns. The recorded categories include reef (43), pinnacle/bommie (18), wall (17), shore/rock platform (3). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Cairns 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 Cairns?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 82 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 Cairns 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
ReefCairns
Blue Lagoon (Thetford Reef)
A calm, shallow lagoon ringed by bommies, with giant clams and blacktip reef sharks – ideal for beginners and snorkellers.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Cathedral (Thetford Reef)
Cathedral-like gaps and swim-throughs between tall bommies on bright sand, with an outer gorgonian bommie to 30 m.
ReefCairns
Caves (Norman Reef)
A sheltered bay with rays and cuttlefish between two deep walls with devilfish in the ledges.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
City Hall (Moore Reef)
A pinnacle with ten-plus swim-throughs and a resident population of 18 turtles, guided from the Sunlover pontoon.
ReefCairns
Clipper & Super Cat (Norman Reef)
Swim-throughs, a beginner-friendly canyon and a small glass-bottom boat wreck on one Norman mooring.
WallCairns
Coral Gardens (Flynn Reef)
A 30 m wall with swim-throughs and overhangs beside a shallow garden of staghorn and plate corals; a favourite liveaboard night…
WallCairns
Cucumber Alley (Pellowe Reef)
A shelf-edge wall with excellent visibility and big-fish action – trevally, barracuda, sharks and huge Napoleon wrasse.
ReefCairns
First Bommie (Norman Reef)
A calm lagoon with a very shallow coral garden and a swim-through bommie – ideal for new divers and snorkellers.
ReefCairns
Fish Bowl (Hastings Reef)
An enclosed 5 m coral bowl packed with reef fish, giant clams, a friendly Maori wrasse and early-morning bumphead parrotfish.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Flat-Top Bommie (Norman Reef)
A flat-topped coral outcrop beside a deep channel, with canyons and swim-throughs for all levels.
ReefCairns
Gordon's Mooring (Flynn Reef)
A field of small bommies and swim-throughs with a shallow giant-clam garden and frequent turtles.
ReefCairns
Green Island
The easiest reef diving from Cairns: guided beach dives on a national-park coral cay, with drift options to 21 m for certified…
WallCairns
Marine World Wall (Moore Reef)
A horseshoe wall that has regrown to around 80 per cent coral cover since Cyclone Yasi, with sharks and occasional mantas.
ReefCairns
Michaelmas Cay
A seabird-sanctuary sand cay with shallow coral gardens and giant clams more than 60 years old – a classic introductory dive and…
WallCairns
Petaj Mooring (Milln Reef)
Resident turtles and whitetip sharks on a wall with a swim-through; a favourite liveaboard night dive.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Plate Top (Norman Reef)
A massive coral range off the main reef where fish crowd the northern corner at low tide.
ReefCairns
Playground (Norman Reef)
Divers Den's overnight liveaboard mooring – sandy valleys, Lionfish Bommie and Split Bommie with leafy scorpionfish; a superb…
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Shark Mountain (Norman Reef)
A coral mountain range with resident grey reef sharks and a small fishing-boat wreck at 14 m.
ReefCairns
Swimming Pools (Milln Reef)
Sheltered bommies on sand with big schools of diagonal-banded sweetlips and plenty of nudibranchs.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Three Sisters (Milln Reef)
Three towering bommies and the narrow Gorgonian Gorge between them – one of the best dives off Cairns.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Tracey's Bommie (Flynn Reef)
A photogenic bommie on white sand with active cleaning stations, a resident Maori wrasse and one of the best night dives on Flynn.
ReefCairns
Troppos (Norman Reef)
A sheltered bay full of nudibranchs, pipefish and razorfish, with a wall to deeper water on its northern edge.
Muck/SandCairns
Turtle Bay (Norman Reef)
A shallow sandy bay where large green turtles feed around the coral margin.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Twin Peaks (Saxon Reef)
Two coral peaks with a narrow swim-through and a wedged tree trunk, pygmy seahorses on the seagrass edges and morays at the…