Great Barrier Reef Region Guide

Certified Diving

To certified scuba divers, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef represent some of the finest and most exotic diving in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is a massive chain of coral reefs encompassing a structure of living organisms.

The outer reefs are great for beginner divers. The maximum depth is generally 20 metres. Some of the best dives on the Great Barrier Reef are in less then 18 metres of water. This tends to be where the reef is at its most colourful and full of life.

Most outer reef sites offer a range of dive types including Drift, Wall, Pinnacle, Ledge and swim throughs depending on the conditions of the day.

With numerous reef locations available, each site offers a new experience, selected for its unique variety of marine life and corals.

For diving enthusiasts a live aboard trip to the Cod Hole and Coral Sea is a must. The Cod Hole lies at the top of the Ribbon Reefs, and is home to a family of resident Potato Cod (Groper). These diver friendly fish will amaze you with their sheer size and seeming eagerness to pose for camera.

120 miles offshore lies isolated reef systems and crystal clear waters of Australia's Coral Sea.  Here 3,000 ft walls emerge from the ocean depths and the water is so astoundingly clear that divers appear suspended in air. 

This is home territory for huge schools of pelagic fish and sharks in an undersea world of mountains, pinnacles and sheer walls laced with gorgonian fans and rising from thousands of feet below.

Water temperatures range from 22 to 28 degrees celsius, allowing comfortable diving all year round.