Explore The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is a dream destination for divers worldwide, offering an unparalleled underwater experience. Stretching over 2,300 kilometers along Australia's northeastern coast, this majestic reef is a vibrant tapestry of life, with an astonishing diversity of marine species. Divers can expect encounters with over 1,500 types of fish, such as the playful clownfish and majestic reef sharks, amidst hundreds of colorful coral species. These marine wonders are set against the breathtaking backdrop of 2,800 individual reefs and 900 islands.
Diving styles in the Great Barrier Reef are as varied as its marine life. Whether you prefer shore dives, boat trips, or liveaboard adventures, there are options to suit every taste. The calm, warm waters, ranging from 24°C–30°C/75°F–86°F, provide a perfect environment for dive courses and exploration. Notably, the wreck of the SS Yongala offers a thrilling dive near Townsville. Visibility ranges from 15 to 30 meters, ensuring clear views of the reef's brilliant colors and bustling life. Seasonal variations bring migrating species like whales and manta rays, adding to the reef's allure.
Places to Explore
Port Douglas
Port Douglas in Northern Queensland, Australia offers one of the best access points to the Great Barrier Reef - the largest coral reef in the world. Crystal clear blue waters, thriving coral gardens and year round warm weather means that it is growing in popularity as a diving destination.
Crains
Cairns is found on the northeastern tip of Queensland, Australia. Due to its tropical location, it enjoys year round warm weather and close access to the most famous reef in the world - The Great Barrier Reef. This old mining town is now one of the main hubs of Australian tourism. With its white sand beaches, turquoise ocean, lush rainforests and exceptional underwater diversity, it’s easy to see why.
Bundaberg
Bundaberg, located on the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef, is home to beautiful reefs, wrecks, and some of the best shore dives known to the Queensland area. The surrounding islands have thriving manta ray populations, sea turtles, and wobbegong shark while plunging straight in from Bundaberg’s shoreline, dugong can be encountered and migrating whales are spotted in the distance.
Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot Island is the southern-most coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef. The land-based equivalent to diving the Great Barrier Reef aboard a liveaboard, divers can step straight off the beach and into a thriving marine ecosystem with the furthest dive site a 10-minute boat ride away. Declared a Green Zone in 2003, no fishing takes place in the area which has led to a boom in biodiversity at each uncrowded dive site. Manta rays, turtles and whales are encountered.
Heron Island
Located on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island is a coral cay reached by a short flight from Gladstone in Queensland, Australia. Heron Island was declared an Australian National Park in 1943 and now has multiple layers of long-term protection within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The guardianship means that Heron Reef is home to around 60% of the 1,500 species of fish and around 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef.
Townsville
Northern Queensland sunny city of Townsville is often overlooked in favour of its more famous neighbours, but with over 320 days of sunshine and some of the best access to the Great Barrier Reef, this is one of Australia’s diving gems! The waters hide vivid coral and sponge gardens, busy with life on reefs like Lodestone, Kelso and Wheeler. A major draw is the SS Yongala - a passenger ship which sunk in 1911 and is now considered one of the best wreck dives in the world. It is an “oasis in the desert”, surrounded by kilometers of sand and drawing in a myriad of marine life.
Mission Beach
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and located only a short distance from Mission Beach in Queensland, Australia. Departing at Wongaling Beach, divers can sail towards the Outer Great Barrier Reef to complete beginners dive courses in protected lagoons or descend deeper onto walls and current-swept passes, met by large schools of pelagics and reef shark.
Cape Tribulation
Cape Tribulation is the only place in the world where two World Heritage zones meet. Skirting the beach, Daintree rainforest slopes to join the waters of the Great Barrier Marine Park, where the fringing reefs nearly meet the seashore. Plunge into the northern frontier of the Great Barrier Reef to explore thriving reef systems alive with sea turtles, eagle rays, and a myriad of tropical fish.
Whitsundays
The Whitsunday region has an average diving depth that ranges from 5 to 25 meters (16 to 82 feet), therefore it is suitable for all levels of divers.
Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island is located 7 kilometers from Townsville and you can find important dive sites such as the SS Moltke, Geoffrey Bay or Platypus Dredge there.
Norman Reef
One of the best dive sites in Australia es Norman Reef, with shallow coral gardens, walls, drop offs, swim throughs, caves and even a small wreck.
Top Dive Sites Map
Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
Naturally, as the largest coral reef in the world, the majority of the diving on the Great Barrier Reef features a kaleidoscopic array of over 400 different corals and sponges on reefs that stretch into the distance. Many reefs are pretty shallow and close to shore which makes them ideal for snorkelling as well as introductory and beginner diving courses.
Within an area this large, there is so much variance in topography that you are almost certain to find a type of dive to suit you. Small caverns and caves make for excellent photography opportunities, such as The Caves at Agincourt Reef. Drift diving provides an exhilarating way to see a large portion of reef - excellent examples include Cod Hole on Osprey Island and 3 Rocks on Heron Island.
Several wrecks can be found in the area with the most famous being the SS Yongala and the visible-from-the-surface Tangalooma wrecks. The SS Yongala provides explorers with a deep, mostly intact wreck swarming with marine life. The crystal clear waters mean that investigating all the nooks and crannies is simple.
Certain areas such as Osprey Island are more remote and are only accessible via liveaboards. Liveaboards are a popular method of seeing more of this natural wilderness and mean that divers can see more than they could with a day trip. Some liveaboards have minimum dive or qualification requirements so check before you book.
The best Months to dive in the Great Barrier Reef
Located off the coast of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef is subject to seasonal changes typical of the region. Though it is possible to dive there year round, and Queensland has much less temperature variance than much of Australia, certain times of the year are better for seeing specific things.
The Australia winter (May - October) has lower air temperatures, with averages in the mid 20s. The water temperature at this time tends to be around 24oC which means that most people will require a full wetsuit to be comfortable. Winds can sometimes pick up during winter months too, though the best times for diving are often said to be from August to December as this time tends to have the best visibility - sometimes up to 60m in the coral sea.
The best months to see Minke whales are between May and August and for humpback whales it’s May - November. Coral spawning events also take place in October/November though it is highly unpredictable.
The summer months between November and April bring hot daytime temperatures, averaging in the mid 30s, with balmy water temperatures between 27oC and 30oC. January - March can bring monsoon weather, though the showers often only last 2 hours or so, leaving sunny weather in its wake.
Statistics
Historical data and trends
Dive Activity & Environmental Conditions
Centers Map
OCEAN DYNAMICS
1 Raintree Parade, 4801 HAYMAN ISLAND, QLD - AUS
REEF ENCOUNTER
100 Abbott Street, 4870 CAIRNS, QLD - AUS
OCEAN VOYAGER
4 THOMPSON STREET, Cannon Valley, QLD - AUS
REEF SAFARI DIVING
2 Waterson Way, 4802 AIRLIE BEACH, QLD - AUS
WHITSUNDAY EXPEDITIONS
PORT OF AIRLIE V05E, 4802 AIRLIE BEACH, QLD - AUS
CORAL SEA DREAMING
5/78-80 Cunningham St, 4879 YORKIES KNOB, QLD - AUS
PLEASURE DIVERS MAGNETIC ISLAND
10 Marine Parade, 4819 ARCADIA, QLD - AUS
LADY MUSGRAVE EXPERIENCE
Shop 5, 15-17 Marina Drive, 4670 Burnett Heads, QLD - AUS
PRO DIVE MAGNETIC ISLAND
43 Sooning Street, 4819 MAGNETIC ISLAND, QLD - AUS
1770 Reef
535 Captain Cook Drive, 4677 Town of 1770, QLD - AUS
OCEANSENSE FREEDIVING AIRLIE BEACH
5 COMMERCE CLOSE, 4802 AIRLIE BEACH, QLD - AUS
SCUBABO CAIRNS
32 Chaplain Ave, 4870 CAIRNS, QLD - AUS