Great Barrier Reef Locations Cairns Northern Reefs
Great Barrier Reef locations out from Cairns provide outstanding coral reefs with abundant brightly coloured fish.
Spectacular Outer Great Barrier Reef locations, well over 15 dive and snorkel sites over a range of the best Outer Great Barrier Reefs from Cairns.
Each day, the Captain decides which Reef locations to visit based on year, weather, and other conditions. The Captain also ensures the Reef site offer guests the best Reef experience and comfort.
Hastings Reef
- Access: Boat
- Depth: 0-16 metres (0-53 feet)
- Suitable for Snorkelers and scuba divers
Hastings Reef is a fabulous coral Reef in all weather.
A large Reef that offers good protection and calm diving and snorkelling conditions all year round.
Marine life:
Anemones, staghorn coral, sweetlips, cod. Damselfish, butterflyfish, white-tip Reef sharks and lagoon rays
Favourite dive and snorkel spots along this Reef include ‘coral gardens’, ‘the fishbowl’ and ‘compass mooring’.
Breaking Patches Reef
- Access: Boat
- Depth 1-20 metres (3+66 feet)
- Suitable for snorkelers and scuba divers
A popular afternoon destination when the weather is good, Breaking Patches is a small Reef located just north of Michaelmas Cay – a tropical sand island and marine Turtle breeding ground.
As the name suggests, this is a patch Reef and is excellent for viewing giant clams and blue-spotted stingrays.
Marine Life
Giant clams, turtles, blue-spotted lagoon rays, sea cucumbers, schools of damselfish, black coral, batfish, crayfish, nudibranchs
It’s also home to one of our well-loved marine friends – the friendly resident sea Turtle called ‘Gus’.
Saxon Reef
- Access: Boat
- Depth: 1-20 metres (3-66 feet)
- Suitable for scuba divers and snorkelers
Saxon Reef is a fantastic Reef with lots of bright, colourful fish and good coral.
Depending on the time of year, Saxon Reef can be a hive of marine activity. In the good seasons, it’s an excellent Reef to see young cuttlefish families or migrating humpback whales.
White-tip Reef sharks can often sleep on shallow sandy areas and hide under coral coves.
This Reef features fantastic swim-throughs, coral Reef walls that drop down 8 metres and several coral bommies.
Marine Life:
Anemones, giant clams, lionfish, pipefish, moray eels, green sea turtles, tuna, mackerel, barracuda and trevally, titan triggerfish, and pipefish are found along this Reef site.
Famous dive and snorkel spots along this Reef site include ‘magic mooring’, Turtle bommie’ and the famous ‘twin peaks.
Norman Reef
- Access: Boat
- Depth: 0-27 metres (0-89 feet)
- Suitable for scuba divers and snorkelers
The coral and wide variety of marine life here are breathtaking!
Outstanding swim-throughs, underwater caves, and bronze whalers, and it’s also home to our giant Maori Wrasse ‘Frank’.
Marine Life
Bronze whalers, Maori wrasse, moray eels, large bommies, staghorn thickets, anemones, giant clams, red bass, and sea turtles. This site also has blue-spotted lagoon rays, nudibranchs, trevally, coral trout, white tip Reef sharks, blue tangs, and lionfish.
This is the most impressive Reef for sunrise snorkelling and night diving due to its larger inhabitants, such as turtles and Reef sharks.
Jorgensen Patch
There are walls, gullies, small caves, overhangs and swim-throughs that can be found in the area of ‘Jeorgies’ – a reef visited at the right time of year.
Jorgensen Patch has sandy bottoms with giant clams, sea cucumbers, blue spotted lagoon rays on the sandy bottoms and lots of soft corals.
Visitors can also observe whitetip sharks, schools of damsels and fusiliers schooling in the plankton-rich waters.
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