Queensland
Diving in Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot is the southernmost coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef and the best place in Queensland to dive with manta rays, which visit the Lighthouse Bommies cleaning station in numbers from May to August and are present most of the year. Turtles, reef sharks, the Blowhole cave and the Severance wreck are all within a few minutes of the eco-resort's beach.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Lady Elliot Island
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 27 published site records in Lady Elliot Island. The recorded categories include pinnacle/bommie (8), reef (8), wall (4), muck/sand (3). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Lady Elliot Island 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 Lady Elliot Island?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 27 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 Lady Elliot Island 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
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Anchor Bommie (Lady Elliot Island)
A soft-coral-covered admiralty anchor at 19 m beside a manta cleaning bommie rich in macro life.
ReefLady Elliot Island
Coral Gardens (Lady Elliot Island)
Lady Elliot's prettiest shallow coral, with open archways and swim-throughs and schooling barracuda – an ideal first dive.
WallLady Elliot Island
Hiro's Cave (Lady Elliot Island)
A spectacular eastern wall with a 16 m cleaning station where mantas or silvertip sharks circle.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Lighthouse Bommies (Lady Elliot Island)
Lady Elliot's signature 'manta truck-stop': small coral bommies at 14 m where mantas queue for cleaning, often all dive long.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Maori Wrasse Bommie (Lady Elliot Island)
A bommie off the wall full of nooks where turtles rest, patrolled by grouper and whitetips.
ReefLady Elliot Island
Second Reef (Lady Elliot Island)
A shallow branching-coral ridge on the edge of the western sand patch, busy with turtles, rays and trevally.
WreckLady Elliot Island
Severance Wreck (Lady Elliot Island)
A coral-encrusted 16 m yacht on sand at 21 m, home to sweetlips and grouper, with mantas passing overhead.
WallLady Elliot Island
Spiders Ledge (Lady Elliot Island)
A northern wall with some of the island's best coral cover and clearest water, rich in morays and macro subjects.
Cave/CavernLady Elliot Island
The Blowhole (Lady Elliot Island)
Swim through an L-shaped cave from 14 m to 22 m and watch silvertip sharks being cleaned outside.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Three Pyramids (Lady Elliot Island)
Three bommies in a row with a manta cleaning station on the largest and superb macro life.
DriftLady Elliot Island
Encounters (Lady Elliot Island)
A current-swept southern reef edge beyond the airstrip where mantas come to feed.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Scattered Bommies (Lady Elliot Island)
Coral heads on sand between the Severance and Lighthouse Bommies where leopard and shovelnose sharks rest and mantas pass.
ReefLady Elliot Island
Shark Pool (Lady Elliot Island)
Time it with the incoming tide and watch dozens of reef sharks push into the shallows.
DriftLady Elliot Island
Sunset Drift (Lady Elliot Island)
An effortless, well-timed drift over beautiful coral at the south-west tip, with feeding mantas in season.
WallLady Elliot Island
Tubes (Lady Elliot Island)
Tube-like channels, caves and ledges on the eastern wall, dived as part of the Blowhole-to-Hiro's Cave drift.
Pinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Chain Bommies (Lady Elliot Island)
Coral bommies wrapped in a shipwreck's chain.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Devils Marbles (Lady Elliot Island)
A cluster of 'marble' bommies at the southern mooring, in manta feeding territory.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieLady Elliot Island
Forty Five (Lady Elliot Island)
A single western bommie south-west of the Lighthouse with regular manta visits.
Details need confirmationReefLady Elliot Island
Groupers Grovel (Lady Elliot Island)
Rarely visited eastern grooves where grouper hide.
Details need confirmationReefLady Elliot Island
Inside (Lady Elliot Island)
A shallow reef-flat mooring near the Lighthouse quayway.
Details need confirmationMuck/SandLady Elliot Island
Mooring One (Lady Elliot Island)
A shallow mooring where squid shelter under the boat.
Details need confirmationWallLady Elliot Island
Nemo Wall (Lady Elliot Island)
A short drop-off covered in anemones and their clownfish.
Details need confirmationReefLady Elliot Island
Reefy Seconds (Lady Elliot Island)
A shallow snorkel-line buoy over reef and rubble.
Details need confirmationMuck/SandLady Elliot Island
Sandy Seconds (Lady Elliot Island)
A sandy beginners' site between the snorkel lines.
Details need confirmation