Dive sites

During our dive adventures we visit a broad variety of Dive Sites. There are both shore dives and boat dives with many coral reefs, wrecks, boulders and swim-throughs that each offer something different. We'd lover to add some photos to this page, so let us know if you've got ones you'd like to share!

Some information about our favourite sites:

Amity Point

This is a shore dive from the north end of North Stradbroke Island. We mostly use this site for training dives and have done several clean-ups there - we are making a small dint in the HUGE amounts of fishing line in there. Beware of stonefish and cone-shells - definitely wear boots for this site!

Bundaberg

We haven't been here in a while because every time we try the weather says otherwise!

Cherub's cave

Cherubs-cave is a true jewel among Brisbane's dive sites located on the east side of Moreton Island. It's a hidden cave which is surrounded by rocky gullies and smaller caves and measures around 15 by 20 m in the accessible area and about the same in the inaccessible part. With 20-30 m depth this site is for the more experienced divers to enjoy the beauty of sea life including big schools of fish, turtles, wobbiegongs, critters and crawlers and the grey nurse sharks that just love this spot.

CementCo

The CementCo was a former coral barge and has been sunk to form a small artificial reef near Flinders in a depth of 25-35 m. The wreck is now as popular a site as the reef itself. It is covered in abundant large fish schools and healthy corals, all with the plus of the mystery that can only come from diving large wrecks. The vessel is upside down leaving massive machines hanging from the top, therefore penetration should only be done with appropriate training.

China Wall

China-Wall is located at the eastern side of Moreton island and with its depth to 30 m more suitable for experienced divers. The outstanding feature is a tall vertical granite outcrop with a 2 m wide swim-through at the top. The area is covered with a thick layer of broad leafed kelp providing protection for crayfish and slipper lobsters, but also making navigation quite challenging. You will also see sea whips, fans, schooling fish, pelagics (tuna, mackerel and barracuda) and the occasional shark cruising by. From May to October the whales are normally sighted here as well and if you are lucky, they swim with you.

Cook Island

Cook Island lies southeast of Tweed Heads in Northern NSW and it comprises three sides, the North, South and East. All have totally different topography and marine life. North and South side are beautiful with schools of pelagic fish, rays and grey nurse sharks, nudibranchs, crustaceans and molluscs, giant Queensland groper, and not to forget green and loggerhead turtles. Leopard and wobbegong sharks are also frequent spectacles and if you are lucky you'll see whales during June to November. The East side as the most adventurous is full of caves, crevices and swim-throughs which wait to be explored. This is a great site for open water divers.

Coolum & Mooloolaba

Curtain Artificial Reef

Curtin artificial reef is one of the largest reef projects in Australia where over 30 ship wrecks, concrete pipes and cars were sunk to create this artificial reef. Today a large variety of marine life such as tropical fish, turtles, wobbiegongs, giant grouper, rays and other schooling fish is visiting the wrecks. With a depth range of 12-35 m there are dives available at Curtin Reef for all level of divers and experience. This site is affected by the large tides around Moreton Island requiring good timing and dive planning for successful dives.

Eastern Banks

Moreton Island

Ex-HMAS Brisbane

The-Brisbane was a 133 m destroyer of approx 5000 tons, commissioned to the Royal Australian Navy in 1967. After 34 years of service, she was decommissioned and sunk off the Sunshine Coast in 2005 as an artificial reef and dive site ranging from 15-28m depth. Today the Brisbane is visited by an endless number of life including resident schools of king fish, large bull & eagle rays, angler fish, lion fish, blennies, nudibranchs, sea hares, squid and schools of red emperor and snapper. Other visitors include shovelled nose rays, greasy cod and eagle rays, octopus, queensland grouper and turtles. There’s also a huge amount of soft corals to be seen and hard corals are already getting established as well.

Flinders Reef

Flinders-Reef is a small isolated reef north-west of Moreton Island. It has the highest number of coral species of any sub tropical reef system along Australia's east coast. With thousands of species of tropical fish, an array of hard and soft corals, eagle rays, leopard sharks in summer, grey nurse sharks and humpback whales in winter, and the famous Turtle Cleaning Station in only 5m of water it is one of Queensland's most popular open water level dive sites.

Gold Coast Seaway

The Gold-Coast-Seaway is an interesting dive site all year around. With the South wall sand pipe and the beach being easily accessible shore dives around 5 -15 m and wave break island and the North wall requiring boat access (up to 20 m) this sites caters for all diver levels. As the bottom is mainly covered in sand and rock, this is not a location for corals but for all sorts of fish. Eagle rays, cownose rays, guitar fish, sharks, bigeye trevally and turtles are common visitors of this site. Even those who love smaller animals, critters and crawlers won't miss out as the sand pipes are full of life. This site also makes great drift or night dives for the more experienced and adventurous divers.

Gold Coast Wrecks

Numerous wrecks are decorating the sea bottom around the Gold Coast creating amazing dive sites. The three most known ones are the Dragin II, the Aquarius and the Scottish Prince. Lying in different depths (12-24 m) these sites are suitable for all diver levels (wreck dependent). They all attract huge marine life and are really interesting dive sites for both big fish lovers as well as macro photographers.

Gotham City

Gotham city is located 8.5 km North of Cape Moreton and 1 km North of Flinders Reef. Gotham City is one big block facing East West and is 50 m long by 25 m wide. It comes up along a steep wall out of the sandy base at 37 m, the top of the wall is at around 26 m and the top of the rock is 22 m deep. The wall facing the East is overgrown with black corals. On the Western site of the rock just before the western edge there is at 28 m a small cavern. In the cavern there is a memorial plague of a favourite dive buddy. The rock is overgrown with barnacles, turf algae and some soft coral. Tropical fish can be seen swimming around the edges. Large schooling sweetlips are hanging in the lee of the rock hiding for the current.To the South West of the main rock system there is an granite ridge in deeper water which worth while exploring. The site is known as a deep site and its beauty best viewed with clear water. Although the site is a small site the dive depth limits it from long exploratory dives.

Gneering Shoal

A dream of every macro-photographer with large areas of corals, soft corals and sponges which are over and over covered with critters and crawlers. With a depth of about 15m max this is an easy and interesting dive for OW divers.

Henderson's Rock

Henderson Rock is located 4.5 km from the ocean side of North Moreton Island and consists of extensive granite outcrops. From the top of the pinnacle, which lies in about 12 m, the rock drops gradually at first but then more steeply to about 24 m. Before the 24m mark there are several ledges, overhangs, and caves whose entrances are often obscured by thick kelp. To the south and east of the base of the pinnacle there is a long deep gutter that leads roughly south to about 22m and it is here that grey nurse sharks are often encountered. The areas is characterised with Kelp beds on the western site and bare rock on the top going in to 2 m high walls with swim-through hidden in them. There are also large caverns further out in water around 25m deep.

Hervey Bay

Las Vegas (North Moreton)

This is a very pretty rocky wall/reef with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. Depths range from 25-35+ metres. Possibilities of lots of big pelagic fish and good viz on the right day. A dive for Experienced divers only, preferably with a deep certification too. The dive is ideally suited to the use of nitrox.

Marietta Dal

The Marietta Dal was a liberty ship build after WW2 to quickly restore economy and is one of the major victims of Smith's rock. Loaded with farming machines she sank in the early 1950's. Today farm machines and the giant prop shaft (almost 50m) can be seen on a dive. With a depth of only 15m, this is a great OW dive, however surge can be tricky.

Noosa

Pimpernel-Wooli

Many people make the 4 hour drive south to Wooli because they want to see Pimpernel Rock. Sure it's a nice dive, with a little cave to see if you make it there, but don't dismiss the amazing site of Anenome Bay with a carpet of anenomes as far as the eye can see (and it can see a long way!) or the aptly named Fish Soup near by.

St Paul

The-St-Paul was a 1660 tons steamer that carried 2800 tons of Chromium ore when it sunk 1914 north-east of Moreton island. Today the wreck lies in 38-43 m of water on a gentle sand slope east of Smiths Rock. Although deep enough to escape damage from storms, nearly 100 years have taken their toll and most of the superstructure has collapsed. With being at the max depth for recreational diving the no-deco limit on air is about 8 min what makes the St Paul a challenging dive and more suitable for very experienced divers. However a broad variety of marine life as well as the lust for rust reimburse the effort.

Stradbroke Island

Straddie as the island is fondly called by locals, with its white beaches and the legendary Gelati at Point Lookout makes a great weekend away. The main attraction of course are the great dive sites Flat Rock, Boat Rock, Shag Rock and Manta Bommie. With countless fish, corals and other creatures an amazing underwater world opens up for everyone who gets there. In summer diving with manta rays and in winter with grey nurse sharks and humpback whales is a must, not to forget the pygmy mantas, eagle rays, leopard sharks, octopus, turtles and other locals that can be found here all year around. The depth ranges from 10-30 m what opens up these weekends to all levels of divers.

Tweed River

The Tweed River is one of our local shore dive sites. With an average depth of 8 m the site is great for an easy dive or for practicing. It can be dived as drift dive from the beach or as straight entry. A residential eagle ray, turtles, dolphins, moray eels, octopus and other creatures make it a good and cheap fun dive. For those who are keen to explore, a Tweed River night dive is also amazing with different critters and crawlers coming out.

Wolf Rock

Wolf rock is 6 km North East from Rainbow beach. The rock is rising from 25 m depth out of the sandy base to the surface. It consist out of a formation of four major pinnacles line up in a North Easterly direction. Two pinnacles are submerged. The rock is characterised by its steep walls on all sites. On the South Westerly site there is a fifth pinnacles at around 19 m. When traveling in North Westerly direction there will be series of gutters and then a rock formation rises to around 22 m water depth. Between the two exposed pinnacles there is a 10 m deep and 2 m wide trench which can be difficult to get through in rough weather conditions. At the deep part of the most north easterly pinnacle once can find 2 m size codes. In the breaking of the waves around the rock schools of Eagle rays and Bat fish can be sighted.