Scuba diving in

Lizard Island, Cod Hole and Cape York

Located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and surrounded by fringing corals, Lizard Island is a well-known dive destination in Far North Queensland. An estimated 1,500 fish species inhabit these waters, alongside more than 300 types of hard coral, healthy soft corals and sea fans. On the eastern side of the islands, the reefs rise steeply from depths of around 20-metres, while Watson’s Bay on the western side plays host to the popular Clam Gardens dive site, where many giant clams can be found. What’s more, an isolated reef not far from Lizard Island offers astonishing experiences at a site known as Snake Pit, where olive sea snakes gather.

But, while the diving around Lizard Island is certainly worth exploring, what truly puts this area on the map are the remarkable Ribbon Reefs, and the legendary Cod Hole dive site.

Diving Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs

Stretching north from Cooktown to Lizard Island, the Ribbon Reefs are a chain of narrow coral structures which push up almost vertically from the depths, creating huge coral monoliths with dramatic 1,000-metre walls. The most northerly point of the Ribbon Reefs – Ribbon Reef #10 – lies just 20-kilometres east of Lizard Island and is home to the iconic Cod Hole. This site has become a firm favourite amongst liveaboard operators, thanks to the local potato cod, which grow to around two-metres and are far from fazed by visiting divers. Other marine life that can be spotted include anemonefish, octopus, bumphead parrotfish, and turtles, along with both grey and whitetip reef sharks which spillover from the neighbouring Shark Alley site.

On the southern side of Ribbon Reef #10, an isolated coral bommie known as Lighthouse attracts an assortment of marine life, including dwarf minke whales. Dense schools of snapper, trevally, and barracuda fill the water column, while manta rays and eagle rays frequent the cleaning stations. Located between Ribbon Reef #10 and Ribbon Reef #9, Vertical Gardens is a pristine dive site that is only accessible when conditions are just right. Divers who manage to make a descent here will be welcomed by astonishingly beautiful coral reefs and a variety of marine life, including wobbegong and epaulette sharks hiding amongst the crevices.

Diving the Cape York Peninsula

The Great Detached Reef is a large complex of reefs which have formed on top of an old underwater mountain range, over 150-kilometres off the coast of the Cape York Peninsula. Snaking this way and that, the Great Detached Reef boasts almost 50-kilometres of outer edge and steep walls which drop for hundreds of metres – delivering some of the most spectacular wall diving imaginable. 

Raine Island National Park lies around 10-kilometres further north, offering fantastic fringing reefs that with healthy hard corals in the shallow areas and large gorgonians, whips, and black coral trees along the walls. This protected island is the site of the largest green sea turtle rookery in the world, meaning sightings underwater are almost inevitable. Divers can also spot a variety of pelagic fish here, including barracuda, trevally, mackerel, tuna and rainbow runners, as well as whitetip and grey reef sharks. Even tiger sharks can make an appearance, hoping to turn an unsuspecting turtle into a tasty snack. 

The occasional exploratory liveaboard itinerary may even venture as far as Ashmore Reef in the Coral Sea, a remote atoll located around 200-kilometres east of Cape York, offering almost entirely untouched underwater environments.

Liveaboards may include a stop at the Pandora wreck – a Royal Navy vessel which sank in 1791, resulting in the loss of 34 crew members and mutineers from HMS Bounty. Though much of the wooden structure has long since succumbed to the ocean, certain points of interest can still be spotted, including the anchor and stove. However, one of Queensland’s most spectacular wrecks - the RMS Quetta - is a little more intact. The 120-metre vessel hit an uncharted rock north of Cape York in 1890 and today lies on its port side in 18-metres of water - a sensational dive.