To the east of the Great Barrier Reef lies the reefs and sand cays of the Coral Sea, many of which are located hundreds of miles off the coast of Australia. As a result of its remote location, this remarkable ocean has remained untouched.  Spanning nearly 2.5 million square kilometres of ocean, the Coral Sea contains hundreds of separate reefs, atolls, cays and seamounts.  These can rise thousands of feet from the ocean floor to just below the surface.

The topography of the Coral Sea formations includes mostly spectacular walls, steep drop-offs and lone seamounts, but also includes shallow gardens and gently sloping gradients.  Renown for crystal clear water with average visibility well in excess of 50 metres, a diver can appear suspended in air against a vertical wall laced with huge gorgonian fans.

The Coral Sea Reefs present an amazing display of  massive gorgonians, sea whips, and bright yellow soft corals.   Sharks and schooling pelagics are ever present while innumerous nudibranch, anemones, unusual tropical fish, invertebrates, and huge schools of fish are all to be found.

Diver Information

Osprey Reef 
Osprey Reef lies in the Coral Sea nearly 160 km to the ENE of Lizard Island.  This Coral Sea reef boasts 30 metres + visibility and 1000 metre vertical walls.  Here some of the largest and most spectacularly coloured soft corals in the world can be found.  It is a large reef system that includes Shark Reef to the south and popular dive site North Horn, renown for shark activity.  Grey Whalers, White Tip Reefies, Silvertip Whalers, seasonal Hammerheads, schools of Barracuda and Dog Tooth Tuna all abound here.  Flashlight fish make for spectacular night diving.

Holmes Reef 
Holmes Reef lies 220 km or 120 nautical miles to the east of Cairns.  It is split into two halves, East and West Holmes and has two small sand cays that pierce the surface on low tide.  Below steep slopes and vertical walls rise from 1500 metres and caves, tunnels and caverns are dotted around shallow sheltered lagoons.  Here you can drift dive at such aptly named sites as ‘The Abyss’.  Enormous Gorgonians lace the walls and turtles, manta rays, schooling pelagics, sharks and even the occasional whale shark are sighted here.

Herald Cays
Lying 100 km to the South East of Holmes Reef, the Herald Cays are two sandy islets that are home to a unique selection of rare sea birds including the red and blue footed boobie bird, terns and frigates. Herald Cays is also nesting grounds for the Green Sea Turtle which visits the region to lay their eggs in the last few months of the year.  Hundreds of turtles can come into the cay of a night to nest.  A very special sight to witness!  The hatchlings then emerge in January. The two cays are surrounded by walls that offer the usual incredible Coral Sea diving and of course, turtles abound in October, November, December

Flinders Reef
Flinders Reef lies 260 km to the South East of Cairns.  It is one of the larger of the Coral Sea reef systems and includes a cluster of reefs some 66 by 26 km in area.  Two small sandy islets jut above the surface and are host to sea birds, turtles, and hermit crabs. The Flinders Reef complex is a caladeiscope of coral formations and diving experiences.  Sites vary from  1,000 metre walls to arrays of  bommies, to magical coral gardens, to lone seamounts emerging from the ocean depths.  The water is gin clear and fish life astounding.  Expect lots of large life such as whaler sharks, barracuda, big eye trevally and rays as well as the exotic cuttlefish, sea hares and starry morays.