Queensland
Diving in Townsville & Magnetic Island
Townsville is the gateway to the SS Yongala, the 1911 passenger steamer that is Australia's most celebrated wreck dive, and to the John Brewer and Lodestone reefs offshore. Magnetic Island, 20 minutes away by ferry, has shore dives on the SS Moltke wreck in Geoffrey Bay, the Museum of Underwater Art sculptures and fringing coral around the bays.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Townsville & Magnetic Island
Three different reasons to choose the Townsville region
Townsville is a mainland gateway for reef travel; Magnetic Island offers an island-based setting; the SS Yongala is a separate wreck objective. Tourism and Events Queensland describes these as distinct experiences, alongside the Museum of Underwater Art at John Brewer Reef. Start by choosing the kind of outing you want. Then check the operator’s actual departure point rather than treating every regional listing as an island day trip.
One useful question: Is our booking for local island diving, an offshore reef or the Yongala, and where does that exact product depart?
| Your interest | Research next | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Island base | Compare island accommodation with the meeting point for the proposed activity. | Ask whether a mainland transfer is needed. |
| Reef or underwater art | Request the proposed reef and activity, including arrangements for non-divers. | A regional attraction does not guarantee that every boat visits it. |
| Yongala objective | Discuss the wreck itinerary and experience requirements directly with the provider. | Keep this booking separate from assumptions about an introductory reef experience. |
Local context: Tourism and Events Queensland — Great Barrier Reef from Townsville. Prepared 1 October 2026; this is destination research, not current access verification.
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 42 published site records in Townsville & Magnetic Island. The recorded categories include reef (20), shore/rock platform (7), wreck (6), wall (3). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Townsville & Magnetic 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 Townsville & Magnetic Island?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 42 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 Townsville & Magnetic 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
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Alma Bay (Magnetic Island)
Easy beach entry to granite-boulder canyons, swim-throughs and coral gardens with 50+ nudibranch species, turtles and rays –…
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Bremner Point (Geoffrey Bay Headland)
Shallow granite wall with small caves, sea fans and more fish than the nearby Moltke, plus the site of the 1896 Lallah Rokh wreck.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
John Brewer Reef – Ocean Sentinels & Coral Gardens
Eight 2.2 m Ocean Sentinels sculptures of reef scientists and custodians in 5 m of water, plus a large sheltered lagoon with…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Lodestone Reef
The Townsville 'all-rounder' – a clear, sheltered lagoon for snorkellers and a seaward face of coral canyons, partly roofed…
Artificial ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
MOUA Coral Greenhouse (John Brewer Reef)
Guinness-record 12 m, 58-tonne underwater artwork by Jason deCaires Taylor – a coral-colonised 'greenhouse' with sculpted reef…
Jetty/PierTownsville & Magnetic Island
Picnic Bay Jetty
Heritage jetty with pylons full of soft coral, schools of baitfish, wobbegongs and big stonefish – a good night and macro dive.
WreckTownsville & Magnetic Island
SS Moltke Wreck (Geoffrey Bay)
Coral-encrusted 1870 iron barque scuttled as a breakwater, alive with sweetlips, batfish and fusiliers, 100 m from an easy ramp…
WreckTownsville & Magnetic Island
SS Yongala
A 109 m passenger steamer lost with all 122 aboard in the 1911 cyclone, lying almost intact on its side and swarmed by giant…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Wheeler Reef
Small reef with every habitat within reach of one mooring – deep bommies, sand, gutters and a cleaning station – plus good shark…
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Arthur Bay (Magnetic Island)
Pretty bay with coral-covered boulders, small caverns and swim-throughs, and reliable turtles on the northern side.
WallTownsville & Magnetic Island
Balding Bay (Magnetic Island)
Sheltered 7 m wall on a secluded bay with no current – the calm-weather fallback for Orchard Rocks.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Davies Reef
Excellent western wall with soft corals and gorgonians, detached pinnacles near the AIMS weather station and usually clear water.
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Florence Bay (Magnetic Island)
One of Magnetic Island's deeper bays, with lettuce-coral patches, caverns at the southern end and the 1917 ferry Magnet in the…
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Geoffrey Bay Snorkel Trail (Magnetic Island)
Marked trail with translocated giant clams right beside the Arcadia foreshore, linking to the Moltke wreck.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Helix Reef
Green-zone reef surrounded by deep blue water with a steep face, prolific fish and ribbon eels.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Keeper Reef
A maze of coral ridges, bommies and swim-throughs in shallow water – easy depths but real navigation interest, and very good…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Kelso Reef
Shallow coral gardens and drop-offs on a quiet, rarely visited mid-shelf reef north of the Palm Islands.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Myrmidon Reef
Outer-edge reef facing the Coral Sea with caves, canyons, walls and swim-throughs in 20–30 m visibility.
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Nelly Bay – Coconut Reef (Rocky Bay)
Convenient fringing reef with lettuce-coral patches and a giant-clam snorkel trail, a short walk from the Nelly Bay ferry…
Pinnacle/BommieTownsville & Magnetic Island
Orchard Rocks (Magnetic Island)
Stacked granite boulders with swim-throughs, ledges and cracks, and more fish than the island's bays.
WallTownsville & Magnetic Island
Orpheus Island – Iris Point
Channel-facing wall at Orpheus's northern tip with Queensland grouper, grey reef and leopard sharks.
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Orpheus–Pelorus Channel (Ray's Lump & Western Edge)
Ray's Lump – two tennis-court-sized coral outcrops mid-channel, packed with fusiliers, trout and resident blacktips; brain-coral…
Shore/Rock PlatformTownsville & Magnetic Island
Pelorus Island – Front Reef
Independent shore diving from a camping beach on an uninhabited reef island, with staghorn gardens, juvenile mantas and winter…
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Pelorus Island – House Mooring
Shallow reef wall with a giant clam colony off a sandy beach on Pelorus's south-western tip.