Where to dive and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef

Immerse yourself in under-the-sea wonderment with our guide to precisely where to dive and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

One of the seven wonders of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef is an otherworldly playground for wide-eyed exploration. The largest coral reef system on the planet, it measures in at more than 348,000 square kilometres, a breathtaking labyrinth of caves, caverns, pinnacles, ethereal monuments, boulders, vivid coral and, of course, marine life, just off the northeastern coast of Queensland. But while the delicate ecosystem can be accessed from various points across the state, knowing exactly where to dive and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef is going to showcase the most astonishing sights.

Spanning remote islands and ancient shipwrecks to famed bays, our guide to the best spots is here to elevate your next underwater expedition.

1. Agincourt Reef

divers exploring Agincourt Reef, Great Barrier Reef — This diver’s paradise is home to vibrant coral gardens. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: 16 unique dive sites, caves, vibrant fish life and a mammoth wall dive.

Getting there: High-speed boats from Port Douglas depart frequently, and it’s a 90-minute ride each way.

While more than a dozen individual dive sites will keep water babies busy for days, Agincourt Reef’s main sites offer the stuff of dreams. Located about 65 kilometres northeast of Port Douglas, Agincourt Reef’s Barracuda Bommie (one guess what you’ll spy there), Castle Rock, The Channels (filled with swimmable tunnels), and The Chapel are hugely popular. Agincourt itself sits within the Ribbon Reefs – more on that wider Great Barrier Reef non-negotiable just below – but given this single location’s diverse appeal, it deserves a mention entirely of its own. Ask your guide to point you in the direction of Blue Wonder, too, a wall dive that travels more than 40 metres below the surface.

2. Lady Elliot Island

a sea turtle swimming at sunset on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef — Swim with turtles on Lady Elliot Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: Easy snorkelling and diving access, day-trip proximity from Brisbane, Hervey Bay, the Gold Coast and Bundaberg, marine-life encounters.

Getting there: Lady Elliot Island is roughly 90 km north-east of Bundaberg, accessible by air.

Located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is a haven for those in search of the majestic manta ray. For those who make the journey via a chartered flight from the mainland, a snorkelling or diving encounter with one of the gentle giants is most definitely on the cards. Just make sure you time your visit right – stick to the winter months when they flock to the island in search of cooler water temperatures. Additionally, the coral edges on the island’s western side offer the opportunity to swim alongside dolphins and turtles, with coral gardens visible from the moment you step off the beach. Need more convincing? Excellent year-round water visibility also makes this spot popular amongst families (easy snorkelling), while affordable accommodation at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (especially compared to other Great Barrier Reef islands) helps seal the deal.

3. Ribbon Reefs

scuba divers exploring the Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier Reef — The legendary dive site is renowned for its colourful coral gardens. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: Brightly coloured anemones, the famed Clam Gardens, diverse marine life and crystal-clear conditions.

Getting there: The Ribbon Reefs consist of 10 individual reefs (including Agincourt, outlined above), accessible via a boat trip from Cairns or Port Douglas.

Beginning north of Cairns, and finishing east of Lizard Island, the Ribbon Reefs fringe along a 200-kilometre stretch of the Great Barrier Reef. They are relatively isolated and support a huge range of biodiversity, so a trip anywhere along here will reward you with the likes of huge plate corals, delicate anemones, channels, caves, clams, canyons and shallow coral gardens. It’s just about the clearest portion of the Great Barrier Reef to marvel at. Visitors also choose this place for the famous Cod Hole dive site, home to the massive and friendly potato cod – yet another once-in-a-lifetime photo opp in this neck of the woods. Don’t miss the Clam Gardens dive site, too, where soft corals, a vibrant mecca of fish and, of course, giant clams can be explored.

4. Milln Reef

a woman diving at Milln Reef, Great Barrier Reef — Milln Reef’s clear, turquoise waters offer shallow and deep dive opportunities. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: Great beginner diving conditions, high visibility levels on the outer reef, night diving.

Getting there: Day boat tours depart regularly from Cairns and take about 1.5 hours each way.

Boasting a collection of unique dive sites, each varying in scale and opportunity, Milln Reef’s clear, turquoise waters offer a relaxed entry point to the Great Barrier Reef. It’s about 56 kilometres southeast of Cairns and renowned as one of Cairn’s best dive sites. Navigate both shallow and deep dive opportunities, with depths varying from 10 to 20 metres depending on where you drop off. Its Whale Bommie dive site, found in Milln Reef’s Three Sisters cluster on the western side, is the pick for night dives with depths flowing deeper than 20 metres and sea turtles, lobsters, crabs, soft coral and black coral waiting to be discovered.

5. Lizard Island

a woman snorkelling at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef — The abundant reefs make Lizard Island a snorkelling paradise. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: Excellent walk-in beach snorkelling, good access to Cod Hole

Getting there: Chartered flights regularly depart from Cairns and last about an hour each way.

Lizard Island is primarily an island national park, covering 1013 hectares in total. Completely isolated from the rest of the world, it offers one of the Great Barrier Reef’s most northern dive points, plus there are private white-sand beaches and easy snorkelling to help fill your days. More than 150 species of corals and an abundance of marine life can be found in the surrounding waters, while the fringing reef is typically colourful, healthy and vibrant. Divers can reach the likes of Cod Hole and the rest of the Ribbon Reefs via a short boat trip organised by the team behind Lizard Island’s luxurious accommodation offerings, making an overnight stay all too enticing.

6. Hayman Island

rock formations and white-sand beach on Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef — There’s more to the beauty of Hayman Island beyond its white sand and rugged coastline. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What it offers: Exceptional snorkelling suitable for families, good access to the Reefworld pontoon at Hardy Reef.

Getting there: Flights to Hayman Island depart from Hamilton Island airport.

Serving as the closest Whitsundays island to the outer reef, Hayman Island features an array of snorkelling opportunities to keep your entire clan entertained. Blue Pearl Bay, less than 1 kilometre from the island, offers stellar conditions as well as the chance to meet Priscilla, a giant Maori wrasse renowned for interacting with guests. For those wanting more, journey about an hour to Reefworld, located at Hardy Reef, for more than 1,400 species of brightly hued coral plus clownfish, rays and a friendly 2-metre-long groper named George who patrols the area.

7. S.S. Yongala Wreck

the S.S. Yongala Wreck, Great Barrier Reef — Descend to the resting place of *S.S Yongala*. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Scuba Diver Life)

What it offers: Intermediate to advanced diving conditions, historical insight and ample marine life.

Getting there: 30-minute boat trips depart from Ayr, near Townsville, but you can also get there via boat from Townsville, which takes three hours each way.

A mysterious and historically significant dive site teeming with marine life, the S.S. Yongala wreck is considered one of the world’s best dive sites. Sinking thanks to a cyclone in 1911, the S.S. Yongala’s structure can still be discovered — almost 75 per cent of the vessel remains intact. The 110 metre-long wreckage is covered with colourful coral and sponges, which have evolved into a magnificent artificial reef and haven for diverse marine life. Fishing and penetration diving bans have upped fish numbers and prevented corrosion, allowing both hard and soft coral to thrive alongside super-sized marine life.

8. Flynn Reef

What it offers: Swim-through coral fields, good beginner snorkelling and diving conditions, high chances for sea turtle spotting.

Getting there: 90-minute boat trips frequently depart from Cairns.

It’s easy to see why visitors from all over the world are drawn to Flynn Reef. Featuring expansive fields of hard coral and plenty of marine life, the underwater hot spot is what Great Barrier Reef postcards are made of. You’ll find it roughly 60 kilometres east of Cairns, sitting pretty as one of the closest reefs to the continental shelf and the Pacific Ocean. Once you’re there, navigate schools of clownfish, batfish, trout, cod, fusiliers, butterflyfish and angelfish along your journey and keep your eye out for sea turtles (including the prevalent green sea turtle), grey reef sharks, moray eels, octopus, lionfish, barracuda and nudibranchs.

Discover the best Great Barrier Reef tours

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.