Dive Cairns

Moore Reef

Moore Reef seems to act as a nursery for the surrounding nearby Great Barrier Reef area with juvenile fish finding shelter in an assortment of rock formations. These rock formations are covered with hard and soft corals with excellent shelter between staghorn thickets from predators and curious divers.

The staghorn thickets are interspersed with gullies that lead up to the reef. They make for excellent spots from where you can observe the marine life within the coral. The sandy floor of the gullies have a few truly enormous giant clams. These clams, a lead feature of diving in Cairns, can be up to 2 metres in length and 150 years old, and care should be taken around them as inadvertent fin kicks can cause sand to swirl into them. The giant clams make good photo opportunities, especially with a diver beside them to show their sheer size.

The sandy channels of Moore Reef are the best place for spotting rays and occasional gray reef sharks, although you will be more likely to see white tip reef sharks on this Cairns dive. Schooling juvenile barracuda seem to be hurtling everywhere and you will see many pairs of butterfly and angelfish.

If you like pelagic action, schools of trevally and mackerel dot the visible boundary of the blue just off the reef, waiting in the wings for an opportune moment to dart in and make a meal out of a smaller fish who had a fatal lapse in concentrating on survival.

If you move away from the reef, the bommies are excellent for cardinal fish, parrot fish and sweetlips. Some of the larger bommies have exciting swimthroughs where you can find lionfish, Maori wrasse and nudibranchs. The soft corals hide a plethora of damselfish darting out to feed. Small shrimps and crabs also occur in good number.

Moore Reef is one site where you will definitely want to have your macro lens with you.

Moore Reef Basics: Sloping reef
Depth: 5 - 30m
Visibility: 10 - 20m
Currents: Gentle
Surface conditions: Calm - choppy
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round
Distance: 55 km south east of Cairns
Access: Australia liveaboards

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