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
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
Upolu Cay
The closest reef to Cairns: a sheltered sand-cay lagoon with soft corals, turtles and giant clams, ideal for beginners.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Whale Bommie (Milln Reef)
An isolated pinnacle from 30 m to the surface with black coral, sleeping whitetips and one of the best night dives off Cairns.
WallCairns
Wild Side (Norman Reef)
Twin bays on Norman's weather side with deepening walls, rare sand stars and seasonal juvenile harlequin sweetlips.
ReefCairns
1770 (Hastings Reef)
A sheltered central lagoon for snorkellers plus the 20 m 'Twins' bommies for advanced divers.
ReefCairns
360 (Thetford Reef)
A lagoon of swim-through bommies on a swing mooring that works in almost any wind.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
5 Ways (Moore Reef)
Five swim-throughs linking a cluster of coral bommies at around 12 m.
WallCairns
Alan's Wall (Norman Reef)
An 18 m wall riddled with crevices and swim-throughs, with sharks and Maori wrasse.
ReefCairns
Angel Bommie (Hastings Reef)
A sandy staghorn bay with sea stars and angelfish, and a bommie with a deep far edge.
ReefCairns
Arlington Reef
A short half-day pontoon trip to a big, sheltered reef with potato cod, Maori wrasse and coral gardens.
ReefCairns
Banana Bommie (Michaelmas Reef)
A sheltered coral patch behind Michaelmas Cay with turtles and the chance of manta rays.
WallCairns
Big Wall (Norman Reef)
A wall from 4 m to 28 m with finger-like formations carved by wind and waves.
ReefCairns
Blue Lagoon (Hastings Reef)
Coral terraces and walls on Hastings' southern side, with elephant-ear corals hiding shrimps.
WallCairns
Boulders (Flynn Reef)
Flynn's current wall, with active fish life on the face and giant clams on the shallow reef top.
ReefCairns
Briggs Reef
A lightly dived reef with large plate corals and calm inside moorings, used mainly by a snorkel operator.
WallCairns
Clipper & Super Cat (Saxon Reef)
A reliable sweetlips school, a friendly resident turtle and occasional winter dolphins on Saxon's wall and bommies.
ReefCairns
Club 10 (Milln Reef)
Acres of shallow coral and two coral-draped bommies – ideal for snorkellers and relaxed divers.
ReefCairns
Darth Vader (Pellowe Reef)
Deep, shadowy valleys cut into a near-pristine shelf-edge reef.
ReefCairns
East Meets West (Thetford Reef)
A wall that dissolves into small bommies, sheltered in summer northerlies.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Fish Bowl (Moore Reef)
Four bommies on a shallow reef edge – reef fish in the shallows and whitetip sharks at 18 m.
Shore/Rock PlatformCairns
Fitzroy Island
The only easy walk-in reef shore dive near Cairns, beside a resort, dive shop and turtle rehabilitation centre.
ReefCairns
Golf Clubs (Hastings Reef)
A wrap-around hard-coral reef right beside the boat, sheltered from rare strong westerlies.
ReefCairns
Little Tracey (Flynn Reef)
Shallow walls and crevices that suit snorkellers and divers together, with turtles and passing pelagics.
Pinnacle/BommieCairns
Long Bommie (Breaking Patches)
A 200 m coral ridge split by a swim-through, with big hard corals on its western drop.
WallCairns
Magic Wall (Saxon Reef)
A calm-day reef-edge dive to the untouched north end of Saxon, or a sheltered critter-filled bay when the current runs.