Explore 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.
Accessible via a short flight from mainland Queensland, snorkelling day tours are offered for those with limited time while for those who intend to stay longer and dive, the only dive centre can be found in the form of a 41-room eco-resort. The eco-friendly dive resort offers dive courses from Discover Scuba to Rescue.
Dive Activity
Diving in Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot Island diving is accessed via short boat rides and each dive site has its own descent line to ensure comfort to divers of all levels. On the east side of the island, a ledge houses three cavern dive sites, including Blowhole and Hiros Cave. The west side consists of many scattered coral bommies and the wreck of the Severance. Dependant of the strength of the current, divers may find themselves drifting as they make their way to Anchor Bommie from Three Pyramids.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Lady Elliot Island
The easily accessed lagoons and reefs of Lady Elliot Island are home to over 1,200 species of marine life. The waters attract a wide variety of incredible marine life including whales, dolphins, many kinds of ray - including the giant manta ray -, and a plethora of fish. Guests to the island can witness green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtle hatchlings dashing their way into the water from January through to March after the nesting period from November through to February. With over 700 individual manta rays identified in the surrounding waters, there are pretty good odds of spotting one as you are snorkelling, diving or enjoying a day visit on a glass-bottom boat. Macro-lovers have identified leaf-scorpion fish, cleaner shrimp, and pipefish lurking in sandy sites.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
207 Sightings
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7
iStock-crisod
Reef Manta Ray
145 Sightings
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12
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6
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iStock-ShaneGross
Loggerhead Turtle
65 Sightings
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4
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5
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9
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7
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1
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4
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5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
59 Sightings
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6
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5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
42 Sightings
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2
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5
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2
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
36 Sightings
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4
iStock/Divepic
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
28 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
26 Sightings
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1
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1
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5
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Shutterstock-Ed Jenkins
Hawksbill Turtle
25 Sightings
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2
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
19 Sightings
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The best Months to dive in Lady Elliot Island
Scuba diving in Lady Elliot Island is possible year-round yet certain species are in greater abundance at certain times of the year. Known as the ‘Home of the Manta Ray’ divers can encounter manta rays year-round but they are witnessed in peak numbers May through to August. The turtle nesting and hatching periods are from November through to March while those with plans of watching migratory humpback whales should visit in June through to October.
