Queensland
Diving in Port Douglas
Port Douglas boats work the Agincourt ribbon reefs on the very edge of the continental shelf, where the water is clearer and the coral generally healthier than on the Cairns day-boat reefs. Sites like Castle Rock, the Nursery Bommie, Barracuda Bommie and the Wreck Site have swim-throughs, pelagics and reliable 20 m-plus visibility. The Low Isles and Opal Reef are closer, shallower options.
Dive sites in this region
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Barracuda Bommie (Agincourt Reef 2)
Circling barracuda school over a coral pinnacle; excellent snorkelling on the shallow garden around it.
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Bashful Bommie (Opal Reef)
Double-sided bommie with a sea-fan wall on a deep channel, a sheltered clam garden, and a very friendly Maori wrasse.
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Castle Rock (Agincourt Reef 1)
A 24 m exposed wall on one side and a sheltered coral garden on the other; one of the better Agincourt sites for sharks and big…
WallPort Douglas
Gary's Gut (Agincourt Reef 4)
Dramatic 5–40 m wall with large fan corals and soft corals – the deepest dive on Agincourt 4.
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Harry's Bommie (Agincourt Reef 4)
Instructors' favourite garden of pinnacles regularly visited by juvenile grey reef sharks and occasionally mantas.
DriftPort Douglas
Horseshoe Reef (Agincourt Reef 2)
Drift along a wall covered in shimmering blue fusilier schools with trevally and mackerel hunting through them.
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Nursery Bommie (Agincourt Reef)
Stunning 24 m pinnacle draped in fans and soft corals, circled by sharks, barracuda and schooling fish – regarded as one of the…
ReefPort Douglas
Phil's Reef (Agincourt Reef 3)
Huge tiers of plate coral sheltering groper and whitetips; giant clams and cuttlefish on a compact, shallow reef.
ReefPort Douglas
Stonehenge (Agincourt Reef 3)
Coral pillars and arches forming swim-throughs, with some of the healthiest hard coral in the Port Douglas area.
ReefPort Douglas
The Chapel (Agincourt Reef 4)
Swim-throughs, dense anemone fields with clownfish, and grey reef sharks on a compact patch reef.
DriftPort Douglas
The Gap (Agincourt Reef 3)
Shallow gutter drift beside a reef wall riddled with grottos; big sweetlips schools and groper.
ReefPort Douglas
The Gardens (Agincourt Reef 2)
Bright, shallow boulder-coral garden with excellent visibility; often done as an effortless drift.
ReefPort Douglas
The Point (Agincourt Reef 4)
Southern point of Agincourt 4 with magnificent coral and big schools of red bass, sweetlips and trevally.
Pinnacle/BommiePort Douglas
Three Sisters (Agincourt Reef 4)
Three coral bommies close to the mooring surrounded by huge fish schools and young grey reef sharks.
ReefPort Douglas
Turtle Bay (Agincourt Reef 2)
Sheltered bay with a coral wall and a resident large loggerhead turtle often seen in summer.
ReefPort Douglas
West End (Agincourt Reef 2)
The largest swim-through caves on Agincourt plus a very large, friendly Maori wrasse.
ReefPort Douglas
Whaler Point (Agincourt Reef 1)
Coral-rich southern point of Agincourt 1 with sharks, rays and barracuda passing along the edge; easy out-and-back layout.
ReefPort Douglas
Blue Buoy (Opal Reef)
Reliable turtle encounters plus pipefish and razorfish; can be linked with Wild West.
ReefPort Douglas
Coronation Corner (Agincourt Reef 3)
Clear-water southern corner of Agincourt 3 where sharks and barracuda work the current.
ReefPort Douglas
Flower Gardens (St Crispin Reef)
Soft-coral 'flower garden' near St Crispin's southern gap with rabbitfish pairs and nudibranchs.
DriftPort Douglas
Helm's Deep Drift (Agincourt Reef 2)
Tidal channel drift between Agincourt reefs 2A and 2B with grey reef sharks, turtles and barramundi cod.
WallPort Douglas
Izzy's Wall (Agincourt Reef 2)
Steep 5–30 m wall with juvenile grey reef sharks and turtles; often run as a drift.
IslandPort Douglas
Low Isles
Snorkel straight off a coral cay beach with a high chance of turtles, 30 minutes from Port Douglas; historic 1878 lighthouse.
ReefPort Douglas
Mackay Reef
Giant clam gardens, big turtles and a white-sand cay on a quiet, exclusive reef.