...Highlights: shark action, dolphins, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics...
...Diving environment: healthy reefs, walls, drift dives, beginner and advanced divers...
Widely celebrated as one of the planet's premier scuba diving destinations, Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a pilgrimage every dive enthusiast must make. This is not a single destination but a vast, living province, offering a spectrum of world-class sites. The legendary Cod Hole in the Ribbon Reefs beckons with its friendly, massive potato cod, while the historic SS Yongala wreck offers a world-class, life-encrusted spectacle. Further afield, the remote oases of the Coral Sea - Osprey Reef, Bougainville, and Holmes Reef - promise pristine walls and heart-pounding pelagic action. To truly access the soul of the reef and these iconic sites, a liveaboard cruise is essential, carrying scuba divers far from the mainland into the heart of this marine wilderness.
The scale of the Great Barrier Reef is almost incomprehensible. Stretching over 2,000 km, it is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem and the only living structure visible from space. This immense size fosters an unparalleled level of biodiversity, supporting a dizzying array of marine life, much of which is found nowhere else on Earth. The foundation of this metropolis is built by more than 400 species of soft and hard corals, which undergo a spectacular natural phenomenon: an annual mass spawning that transforms the water into a blizzard of new life each October through December.
Within this vibrant city of coral, over 1,500 species of fish find their home. The reef's nooks and crannies teem with life, from the iconic clownfish and cryptic seahorses to the imposing lionfish and schools of red-throat emperor and snapper. But the residents are not limited to the small and scaly. The reef is a veritable playground for megafauna, serving as a critical breeding ground for 6 species of turtles - the green, loggerhead, hawksbill, flatback, olive ridley, and leatherback, notably on Raine Island. It is also a sanctuary for dugongs, and a highway for over 30 species of dolphins, porpoises, and whales, including migrating humpbacks and curious minke whales.
For those seeking a thrill, the reef’s dynamic predators are ever-present. A staggering 125 species of sharks, rays, and chimeras patrol the environments, from reef white-tips cruising the coral ledges to majestic mantas gliding in the deep blue. This incredible diversity even extends to the coastline's marshes, where saltwater crocodiles reside - a testament to the ecosystem's complexity, though they thankfully pose no threat to offshore divers.
To dive in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is to immerse oneself in the greatest living show on Earth. It is an experience of profound wonder, from the intimate discovery of a nudibranch's flamboyant colours to the awe-inspiring sight of a shark feeding frenzy from the blue. This World Heritage site is more than a destination; it is a vibrant, pulsing reminder of the ocean's grandeur and fragility, leaving an indelible mark on the heart of every diver who explores its depths.
Nestled beyond the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, where the continental shelf plunges into the abyssal plain, lies the Coral Sea - a realm of legendary isolation and raw oceanic power. This is the frontier of Great Barrier Reef diving, a place where remote coral atolls and submerged reefs rise from the deep blue to create what many consider the ultimate blue-water adventure. Accessible only via multi-day liveaboard expeditions, destinations like Osprey Reef, Bougainville, and Holmes Reef are the crown jewels of this wilderness, offering an unparalleled combination of heart-pounding pelagic action and pristine, isolated ecosystems.
The legendary Osprey Reef is the undisputed star of the Coral Sea, a sheer-walled oasis famous for one of the most thrilling shark encounters on the planet. At sites like North Horn, divers can witness a spectacular natural phenomenon as dozens, sometimes hundreds of grey reef sharks patrol the currents in a breathtaking display of oceanic might. But the drama extends beyond the reef sharks; the reef's vertical walls drop away into thousands of metres of water, serving as a stage for silky sharks, even silvertips and hammerheads, and passing schools of tuna, sailfish, giant trevally, and frequently, the majestic silhouette of a manta ray.
Further south, the magic continues at the remote sites of Bougainville and Holmes Reef. These submerged coral outposts are celebrated for their spectacular underwater topography, featuring swim-throughs, caverns, and breathtaking coral walls. Bougainville's Bombora, a submerged pinnacle, erupts with life, attracting dogtooth tuna and vibrant tropical fish. Holmes Reef is often hailed for its astonishing coral cover, with gardens of staghorn coral and massive bommies providing a vibrant backdrop for encounters with white-tip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, and patrolling eagle rays. The clarity here is often exceptional, with visibility exceeding 40 metres, creating a stunning, crystal-clear window into this Great Barrier Reef diving paradise.
Rising from the deep blue of the Coral Sea, the Ribbon Reefs form a spectacular, near-continuous 100 km chain along the northern edge of the Great Barrier Reef. As one of the most celebrated diving regions of the Great Barrier Reef, the Ribbon Reefs are a scuba diver's dream. Cod Hole provides an unforgettable, intimate experience with its resident population of massive, inquisitive potato cod, gentle giants that often approach divers within arm's reach. In stark contrast, the Snake Pit offers an adrenaline-fuelled rush as powerful currents surge through a canyon, attracting vast schools of pelagic fish, reef sharks, and feeding predators. The Temple of Doom is a bommie among the Ribbon Reefs where a lot of fish perish in nature's relentless battle between predator and prey. Circling up around this pinnacle there may be action in the blue, including schools of bluefin trevally, turtles, rays and sharks. On a smaller scale there are batfish, trumpetfish, surgeonfish, moorish idols and more. When diving on the Great Barrier Reef, few sites will wow you with fish species diversity as much as the Temple of Doom.
During the winter months, the enigmatic dwarf minke whale is a common visitor. These gentle whales are known for their remarkable curiosity, often approaching divers for a closer look in what is considered one of the most unique wildlife interactions in the diving world. The reef's intricate caverns, swim-throughs, and overhangs provide a home for the fabulous wobbegong and shelter to a stunning array of macro life, including pipefish (glittering pipefish, banded messmate pipefish and Shultz's pipefish), flatworms, and vibrant crinoids.
Venturing from the port of Cairns, beginners, students, or those who simply don't have the time for a longer trip, can join a liveaboard trip that visits the Outer Barrier Reef. This network of reefs and coral cays marks where the sheltered coastal waters give way to the deep, clear blue of the Coral Sea. As the most accessible section of the outer reef, it offers divers an introduction to this underwater kingdom, characterised by drop-offs, channels, and coral gardens. Although not the best diving on the Great Barrier Reef, there is plenty to see, with anemonefish, inquisitive Maori wrasse, parrotfish, sweetlips, goatfish, sea turtles, octopus, white tip reef sharks and moray eels. Schools can include fusiliers, snappers, trevally, juvenile barracuda, damselfish and small reef squid. Visibility is often exceptional, revealing a panorama of hard coral structures, soft corals, and giant clams.
However, we advise experienced scuba divers not to limit their time to the Outer Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef dive sites further to the north such as the Ribbon Reefs and those of the Coral Sea are really the only ones that will impress in terms of marine life, topography and action!
Emerging from the sandy plains of the Coral Sea, the SS Yongala wreck is not merely a dive site; it is Australia's most iconic wreck dive. Resting in 30m of water off the coast of Townsville, this 110m-long passenger steamship sank in 1911, creating an artificial reef of unparalleled richness. For over a century, the wreck has been transformed by the sea into a colossal oasis, encrusted with hard and soft corals and utterly engulfed by a staggering concentration of marine life. Diving the Yongala is less about exploring a relic of history and more about immersing oneself in a breathtaking aquatic theatre where the drama of the ocean unfolds.
The sheer density of life surrounding the Yongala is what defines the experience. The wreck acts as a massive magnet in an otherwise featureless seabed, attracting everything from the smallest critters to the ocean's most powerful predators. Schools of trevally and barracuda form shimmering walls in the current, while giant Queensland grouper and inquisitive bull rays patrol the wreck's periphery. The resident population of sea snakes weaves through the corroded structure, and during the winter months, manta rays are frequent visitors. Every available surface teems with life, from colourful featherstars and delicate tube worms to the watchful eyes of giant cod, making every moment of the dive a visual spectacle.
Due to its exposed location in the Great Barrier Reef and often strong currents, the Yongala is best suited for experienced divers. The site's reputation for unpredictable conditions only adds to its mystique, promising a thrilling encounter with the raw energy of the Coral Sea.
The Ribbon Reefs and Coral Sea are accessible on liveaboard cruises only and they are your key to the splendour that can only be found on these more distant parts of the Great Barrier Reef. This is where the world-class diving is. However, due to the low number and popularity of these trips, we recommend you booking well in advance. Dive The World also offers you access to the Outer Barrier Reef with Cairns diving day-trips, or more often short liveaboard trips to maximise your number of dives. For more information on all the cruise routes, duration options, and all the other travel information you might need to visit, see our Great Barrier Reef liveaboard section.
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The region as a whole is a year round destination but, for most part, late August to early December yields the best Great Barrier Reef diving conditions. Other seasonal aspects to consider for the Great Barrier Reef are as follows:
For more information on the climate and sea conditions of Queensland, visit the Bureau of Meteorology website.
Review our maps below of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef and its location in Australia . Here, you will find information on how to get to the Great Barrier Reef.
5 - >40m
10 - 40m
Gentle to moderate
Usually calm but can be choppy
24 - 29°C
Beginner - advanced
>300
180 km north of Male
1 week
I liked how the information was presented, it was very clear and easy to understand. I also appreciated the prices were displayed and that you could book and make inquiries over the internet. I booked the whole trip (within a week of doing the diving course) and I was very impressed with how quickly Dive-The-World got back to me with answers to my questions and booking confirmation.
