Dive sites by state · 2026 guide
Queensland has 24 dive sites in our database. These are the 10 with the strongest combination of reputation, marine life and confirmed operators.
Each entry shows the typical depth, the certification it suits and who runs trips there.
1Cairns, Queensland
The reef systems reached daily from Cairns — the most-dived section of the Great Barrier Reef.
Coral cover, fish density and crowding vary considerably between them. The reefs closest to port see the most traffic; the outer reefs generally offer better coral and clearer water in exchange for a longer steam.
Look for: Green Turtle, Queensland Groper
Full Great Barrier Reef (Cairns Outer Reefs) guide →
2Rainbow Beach & Wolf Rock, Queensland
An offshore volcanic pinnacle and one of the few known aggregation sites for pregnant grey nurse sharks.
The site is particularly associated with grey nurse sharks and large rays. It is one of the few known aggregation sites for pregnant female grey nurse sharks, which gives it genuine conservation significance.
Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark), Manta Ray
Wolf Rock Dive Centre
3Townsville, Ayr & the SS Yongala, Queensland
A 100-metre passenger steamer lost in 1911, now carrying possibly the densest marine life in Australia.
The wreck is around 100 metres long and lies at depths reaching roughly 30 metres. Queensland tourism material treats the site as an advanced diving attraction.
Look for: Queensland Groper, Spotted Eagle Ray
Full SS Yongala guide →
4Gold Coast, Queensland
An aquatic reserve off Tweed Heads with a resident turtle population and seasonal grey nurse sharks.
The protected status has produced habituated marine life, and divers regularly encounter multiple turtles on a single dive.
Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)
Full Cook Island guide →5Sunshine Coast, Queensland
A former guided missile destroyer scuttled off Mooloolaba and prepared specifically for divers.
Because the vessel was prepared specifically for diving, access points were cut and hazards removed, which makes the wreck considerably more forgiving than a historic loss.
Look for: schooling baitfish and trevally, wobbegongs, soft coral and sponge colonisation, lionfish, occasional turtles and rays
Full ex-HMAS Brisbane guide →6North Stradbroke Island, Queensland
Southeast Queensland's premier big-animal site — grey nurse sharks, mantas and turtles.
A gutter on the rock's northern side is a recognised grey nurse shark aggregation area in the cooler months, while manta rays arrive through summer.
Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)
Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre7Whitsundays, Queensland
Sheltered island reefs — the diving most Whitsundays sailing trips actually visit.
They are where most Whitsundays in-water activity actually happens, and they suit introductory diving and snorkelling well.
Look for: hard coral, Maori wrasse, batfish, turtles, reef fish
8Bundaberg & Southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
A coral cay at the reef's southern tip, with some of Australia's most reliable manta encounters.
Cleaning stations around the island produce reliable seasonal manta activity, and the clear water typical of the southern reef makes it exceptional for photography.
Look for: Green Turtle, Humpback Whale, Loggerhead Turtle, Manta Ray
9Cairns, Queensland
Isolated atolls beyond the Great Barrier Reef with vertical walls and exceptional clarity.
The attraction is visibility and walls. Clarity of 40 metres and more is common, and the drop-offs fall away into thousands of metres of open ocean.
Look for: Dwarf Minke Whale, Potato Cod
Full Coral Sea (Osprey and Bougainville Reefs) guide →
10Cairns, Queensland
A chain of ten outer-barrier reefs including Cod Hole — liveaboard territory.
They include Cod Hole, where large potato cod have been habituated to divers for decades, and Steve's Bommie, a pinnacle that ranks among the most photographed sites on the Great Barrier Reef.
Look for: Dwarf Minke Whale, Potato Cod
Full Ribbon Reefs guide →Sites are chosen from our dive-site database and ordered by how well documented they are: flagship status, the number of operators we have confirmed dive there, and the marine life recorded. Nobody pays to be listed.
No. Listings and order come from our research only. Businesses can ask us to correct their details, but not to change their position.
It is generated from the directory's latest research, checked in 2026. Conditions, operators and seasons change — confirm details with the operator before you book.
