Mooloolaba
27 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Mooloolaba →Queensland
The Sunshine Coast has one of the best wreck dives in Australia, the ex-HMAS Brisbane, scuttled off Mooloolaba in 2005 with access cut into every deck, plus the Gneerings and Murphys reefs with grey nurse sharks in winter and, further north, Wolf Rock's resident pregnant grey nurse sharks and Flinders Reef's coral gardens off Noosa's doorstep.

Custom YouDive mascot art inspired by Queensland. An imaginative illustration, not a photograph or map of this destination.
Your bearings, in a minute
Start with the local site mix, explore the map and find people to ask about your trip.
Directory counts describe published records, not bookable trips. Location confidence is shown separately in the map list. How we check information →
Prepared by YouDive editorial with AI assistance. No firsthand visit, equipment test or instructor review is implied.
Independent specialist review: pending. We publish a reviewer’s name, qualifications, date and exact review scope only after the review has actually happened.
Who can contribute and how reviews work →Find your bearings
Compare where the recorded sites sit, then open a site to read its access and source notes. Locations are for orientation, not marine navigation or entry instructions.
41 matching records · 41 with a map location · 0 without a usable position.
Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · 22–50 m
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Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · 15–21 m
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Reef · 30–55 m
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Reef · Not recorded
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Reef · 10–15 m
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Reef · Not recorded
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Shore/Rock Platform · 2–11 m
Approximate area
The local notebook
Use the actual places attached to the local records to narrow your research. These are recorded nearby towns and areas, not verified departure points or accommodation recommendations.
27 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Mooloolaba →7 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Noosa Heads →2 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Buddina (Mooloolaba) →2 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Caloundra →1 site record refers to this town or area.
Look for operators around Caloundra (Dicky Beach) →1 site record refers to this town or area.
Look for operators around Coolum Beach →| Local example | Recorded nearby place | Recorded access | Follow the evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mudjimba Island | Mooloolaba | Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
| La Balsa Park | Buddina (Mooloolaba) | Shore | Recorded source ↗ |
| The Pinnacles (Gneerings) | Mooloolaba | Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
| A-Bay Reef | Noosa Heads | Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
Choose the named outing that interests you first. Compare its recorded place and access with your accommodation plans, then obtain the actual meeting address and schedule from the provider. The site links show the underlying depth, location confidence and source notes. Similar town names or map positions do not establish that two outings can be combined in a day.
A closer look at Sunshine Coast
Our Sunshine Coast directory currently includes 41 published site records. The largest recorded category is reef (32 records). Use the mix below to decide what you would like to read about first.

A visual guide to recorded site types. Counts show coverage, not popularity or current availability.
Source: published YouDive directory records for Sunshine Coast. Bars use the same scale within this graphic; the longest is the largest category, not 100% of the destination.
Start with Mudjimba Island, La Balsa Park, The Pinnacles (Gneerings). These are examples from different recorded categories, not a recommended route or a list of the best sites. Open each record for its sources, map and review notes.
| Site | Recorded type | Access | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mudjimba Island | Island | Boat | 2–18 m |
| La Balsa Park | Muck/Sand | Shore | 1–6 m |
| The Pinnacles (Gneerings) | Pinnacle/Bommie | Boat | 6–14 m |
| A-Bay Reef Details need confirmation | Reef | Boat | Depth not recorded |
A dot shows a recorded maximum. A line joins the recorded minimum and maximum when both are available. These are site descriptions, not target depths or certification limits.
The table above contains the same depth values. Depth alone cannot establish suitability, and records may require correction. Source: the linked site records.
A Queensland dive holiday starts with a more useful question than “Which reef?”: where will your actual day begin? Use the local records below to explore the setting, then connect that idea with a departure and the time you have available.
A mainland departure, an island stay and a multi-day boat trip have different rhythms. Write down the exact activity you want, who is joining and whether everyone plans to dive. Ask about meeting and return times before building accommodation and transfers around a promotional reef name. On a mixed trip, find out what non-divers can actually book on the same departure.
Keep arrival, equipment fitting and your main diving outing visible as separate parts of the plan. If you hope to complete training during the trip, put the course schedule alongside the travel schedule. A free morning on a holiday calendar does not establish that a course session or reef departure will fit into it. Leave the unanswered details in your notes until the provider confirms them.
Compare the value of the whole outing, including guiding, equipment, meals and transfers. Ask what happens if the itinerary changes and which alternatives might be offered. That gives you something practical to compare between quotes. Seasonal research helps you choose dates; the actual departure still depends on current arrangements and the people operating the trip.
Which meeting point and return time apply?
Match transport to the actual departure.
Which transfers and diving are separate bookings?
Keep each booking and payee visible.
Which sites are possibilities rather than promises?
Read the itinerary-change terms.
From “that looks lovely” to a plan
Find your starting point, meet the local options and keep your ideas together. You do not need to have the whole trip worked out yet.
Find out how a first course works, compare your options and get comfortable asking questions.
Connect your next outing with useful reading and a conversation about the right training and support.
Explore the professional pathway and prepare better questions for a training centre.
These are learning paths to explore, not prerequisites for every local site. Confirm the actual course, instructor and your readiness with the provider.
These profiles are based in the region or have a sourced link to one of its sites. Shown alphabetically, not as a quality ranking. Ask about the specific trip or course you want.
Source-linked to a site in this region
Point Lookout
A North Stradbroke Island operation combining accommodation and diving, which makes it structurally different from a suburban Brisbane training centre.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Mooloolaba
A Sunshine Coast business combining training, retail and local boat diving including the ex-HMAS Brisbane.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Mooloolaba
Open the profile for contact details and recorded services, then ask about current arrangements.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Mooloolaba
A Mooloolaba operation closely associated with the ex-HMAS Brisbane wreck alongside local reef diving and training.
Meet this operator →Start with the place and your questions. Add dates and prices once you have spoken with the people running the trip.
Creates a new trip with this destination, useful reading and starter questions. Saved on this browser; export a backup from My trips.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
There are 41 published site records in Sunshine Coast. The recorded categories include reef (32), shore/rock platform (5), island (1), muck/sand (1). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Sunshine Coast 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 →Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 41 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.
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.
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.
Search within Sunshine Coast, or narrow the list to a recorded dive type. Open a site for its map, sources and access notes.
41 matching site records. Listings do not confirm current access or availability.
WreckSunshine Coast
Queensland's great destroyer wreck – 133 m, upright, funnels 3 m below the surface and 1000+ species – now with a…
ReefSunshine Coast
A 50 m overhanging wall carpeted in sun corals above a sandy trench, with some of the largest plate corals on the local reefs.
ReefSunshine Coast
Noosa's best dive: an 11 m solitary pinnacle and a cave-and-gutter system in sheltered Laguna Bay, with more than 100 nudibranch…
Muck/SandSunshine Coast
Australia-class nudibranch muck dive: 700+ nudibranch species recorded in the Mooloolah River, in 1-6 m with easy stair entries…
IslandSunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast's all-weather site: a sheltered wall from 16 m to 5 m and coral gardens from 2 m, rich in macro life and ideal…
ReefSunshine Coast
A winter grey nurse shark aggregation (July-October) among boulders and swim-throughs in 14-22 m, with better visibility than the…
ReefSunshine Coast
A shallow 12 m ledge with overhangs and small swim-throughs – schools of surgeonfish, wobbegongs and ray cleaning stations; ideal…
ReefSunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast's deep offshore bank: caves and ledges from 22 m, gorgonians and black coral, pelagic schools and big sharks,…
ReefSunshine Coast
The Gneerings' shallow coral gardens in 10-15 m – the classic easy reef dive of the Sunshine Coast.
ReefSunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast's core reef system, 15 minutes from Mooloolaba: gutters, ledges, caves and pinnacles with outstanding…
Shore/Rock PlatformSunshine Coast
An easy boat-ramp entry onto a shallow soft-coral reef at Kings Beach, with 40+ fish species, wobbegongs and turtles on calm,…
ReefSunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast's most complex reef topography: a maze of gullies, ravines, swim-throughs and pinnacles to 25 m on the Outer…
ReefSunshine Coast
Deeper, clearer and fishier than the inner reef: boulders and outcrops in 15-25 m with winter pelagics.
Shore/Rock PlatformSunshine Coast
A rock-platform snorkel and shore dive at the Mooloolah River mouth with regular nudibranch and cowrie finds.
Pinnacle/BommieSunshine Coast
Three upright pinnacles in about 10 m, busy with batfish, trevally, barracuda and wobbegongs.
ReefSunshine Coast
An exposed reef off Noosa National Park's Alexandria Bay – clearer water than Laguna Bay on calm days, but rarely dived.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
An easy, shallow Gneering Shoals reef with coral growth.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
An easy reef of large plate corals and small overhangs.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
A Caloundra rock reef favoured by spearfishers, with basic diving along the reef towards Kings Beach.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
An easy, rolling reef with plenty of reef fish.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
A large rock overhang carpeted in orange coral at about 21 m, with crayfish, batfish and trevally.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
A deep open reef 9 km off Noosa in 30-55 m – a pelagic fishing ground, essentially undocumented as a dive.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
A shallow reef of anemones and clownfish with good macro life – an easy dive for beginners and photographers.
Details need confirmation
ReefSunshine Coast
A little-known fishing reef off Currimundi – rarely dived and undocumented.
Details need confirmation