Townsville
18 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Townsville →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.
Custom YouDive mascot art inspired by Queensland. An imaginative illustration, not a photograph or map of this destination.
Your bearings, in a minute
Townsville & Magnetic Island at a glance
Start with the local site mix, explore the map and find people to ask about your trip.
- Explore
- 42 site records
- Recorded settings
- Reef · Shore/Rock Platform · Wreck
- Map coverage
- 42 locations to explore
- Plan with local help
- Meet the listed operators
Directory counts describe published records, not bookable trips. Location confidence is shown separately in the map list. How we check information →
Sources, authorship and review status
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
Explore Townsville & Magnetic Island on the map
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.
42 matching records · 42 with a map location · 0 without a usable position.
Alma Bay (Magnetic Island)
Shore/Rock Platform · 1–10 m
Approximate area
Anzac Reef
Reef · 5–25 m
Approximate area
Arthur Bay (Magnetic Island)
Shore/Rock Platform · 1–10 m
Approximate area
Balding Bay (Magnetic Island)
Wall · 2–7 m
Approximate area
Bowl Reef
Reef · 3–30 m
Approximate area
Bremner Point (Geoffrey Bay Headland)
Shore/Rock Platform · 2–8 m
Approximate area
Broadhurst Reef
Reef · 5–25 m
Approximate area
Centipede Reef
Reef · 3–20 m
Approximate area
Chicken Reef
Reef · 3–20 m
Approximate area
Curtiss Falcon Aircraft Wreck (Nelly Bay)
Aircraft Wreck · Not recorded
Approximate area
Danger Marks (Orpheus–Pelorus Channel)
Reef · 5–10 m
Approximate area
Davies Reef
Reef · 6–25 m
Approximate area
The local notebook
Where should you start in Townsville & Magnetic Island?
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.
Lucinda / Ingham
9 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Lucinda / Ingham →Horseshoe Bay (Magnetic Island)
6 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Horseshoe Bay (Magnetic Island) →Arcadia (Magnetic Island)
4 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Arcadia (Magnetic Island) →Nelly Bay (Magnetic Island)
2 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Nelly Bay (Magnetic Island) →Alva Beach (Ayr) / Townsville
1 site record refers to this town or area.
Look for operators around Alva Beach (Ayr) / Townsville →Different outings to look into
| Local example | Recorded nearby place | Recorded access | Follow the evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss Falcon Aircraft Wreck (Nelly Bay) | Nelly Bay (Magnetic Island) | Shore or Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
| MOUA Coral Greenhouse (John Brewer Reef) | Townsville | Boat (day trip) | Recorded source ↗ |
| Picnic Bay Jetty | Picnic Bay (Magnetic Island) | Shore or Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
| Little Broadhurst Reef – Barra Bommie | Townsville | Boat (multi-day/liveaboard) | Recorded source ↗ |
How to use this shortlist
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 Townsville & Magnetic Island
Get a feel for the diving
Our Townsville & Magnetic Island directory currently includes 42 published site records. The largest recorded category is reef (20 records). Use the mix below to decide what you would like to read about first.
Townsville & Magnetic Island: what’s in the directory?
A visual guide to recorded site types. Counts show coverage, not popularity or current availability.
Source: published YouDive directory records for Townsville & Magnetic Island. Bars use the same scale within this graphic; the longest is the largest category, not 100% of the destination.
A few local records to compare
Start with Curtiss Falcon Aircraft Wreck (Nelly Bay), MOUA Coral Greenhouse (John Brewer Reef), Picnic Bay Jetty. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss Falcon Aircraft Wreck (Nelly Bay) Details need confirmation | Aircraft Wreck | Shore or Boat | Depth not recorded |
| MOUA Coral Greenhouse (John Brewer Reef) | Artificial Reef | Boat (day trip) | 4–18 m |
| Picnic Bay Jetty | Jetty/Pier | Shore or Boat | 1–6 m |
| Little Broadhurst Reef – Barra Bommie Details need confirmation | Pinnacle/Bommie | Boat (multi-day/liveaboard) | 3–20 m |
How the recorded depths compare
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.
Find your little corner of Queensland
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.
Choose the outing before the room
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.
Give each day a job
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.
Make room for the unexpected
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.
Three conversations worth having before you book
Mainland boat day
Which meeting point and return time apply?
Match transport to the actual departure.
Island-based stay
Which transfers and diving are separate bookings?
Keep each booking and payee visible.
Multi-day trip
Which sites are possibilities rather than promises?
Read the itinerary-change terms.
From “that looks lovely” to a plan
Make Townsville & Magnetic Island your kind of dive trip
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.
Where are you on your diving journey?
I’m just getting started
Find out how a first course works, compare your options and get comfortable asking questions.
I’m ready to explore more
Connect your next outing with useful reading and a conversation about the right training and support.
I’m thinking about teaching
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.
People to talk to about Townsville & Magnetic Island
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.
Listed in this region
Adrenalin Snorkel & Dive
South Townsville
A Townsville operation running SS Yongala trips alongside reef diving and training.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Coral Expeditions
Cairns
Open the profile for contact details and recorded services, then ask about current arrangements.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Orpheus Island Lodge
Orpheus Island
Open the profile for contact details and recorded services, then ask about current arrangements.
Meet this operator →Listed in this region
Pleasure Divers Magnetic Island
Arcadia, Magnetic Island
A Magnetic Island training and guided-diving operation serving island-based visitors.
Meet this operator →Let’s put the pieces together
Start with the place and your questions. Add dates and prices once you have spoken with the people running the trip.
Open my trips
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
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
Search within Townsville & Magnetic Island, or narrow the list to a recorded dive type. Open a site for its map, sources and access notes.
42 matching site records. Listings do not confirm current access or availability.
QLD
Shore/Rock Platform
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 –…
QLD
Shore/Rock Platform
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.
QLDReef
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…
QLDReef
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Lodestone Reef
The Townsville 'all-rounder' – a clear, sheltered lagoon for snorkellers and a seaward face of coral canyons, partly roofed…
QLDArtificial Reef
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…
QLDJetty/Pier
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.
QLDWreck
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…
QLDWreck
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…
QLDReef
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…
QLDShore/Rock Platform
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.
QLDWall
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.
QLDReef
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Davies Reef
Excellent western wall with soft corals and gorgonians, detached pinnacles near the AIMS weather station and usually clear water.
QLDShore/Rock Platform
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…
QLDShore/Rock Platform
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.
QLDReef
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Helix Reef
Green-zone reef surrounded by deep blue water with a steep face, prolific fish and ribbon eels.
QLDReef
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…
QLDReef
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Kelso Reef
Shallow coral gardens and drop-offs on a quiet, rarely visited mid-shelf reef north of the Palm Islands.
QLDReef
ReefTownsville & Magnetic Island
Myrmidon Reef
Outer-edge reef facing the Coral Sea with caves, canyons, walls and swim-throughs in 20–30 m visibility.
QLDShore/Rock Platform
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…
QLDPinnacle/Bommie
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.
QLDWall
WallTownsville & Magnetic Island
Orpheus Island – Iris Point
Channel-facing wall at Orpheus's northern tip with Queensland grouper, grey reef and leopard sharks.
QLDReef
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…
QLDShore/Rock Platform
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…
QLDReef
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.