Scuba diver with a large fish on Lizard Island
Scuba diver with a large fish on Lizard Island
Image of a coral reef on Lizard Island
Back to Diving

Dive Sites

Lizard Island is located on the Great Barrier Reef with world famous dive sites situated on the inner and outer reaching reefs.

We offer half-day dive and snorkel excursions to the Inner Reef and full-day dive and snorkel excursions to the Outer Reef. Your excursion can either be aboard our shared vessel that aims to take guests out every morning or aboard our Private luxury yacht, which adds a little extra comfort and flexibility as you head to and from the reef.

Cod Hole

50 minutes from Lizard Island is our world-famous dive site on the northern tip of Ribbon reef no.10. Guests can interact with our friendly potato cod, grey reef sharks, schooling sweetlips and an abundance of tropical reef fish. Depths from 8m-30m.

No Name

Our sandy bottom reef site, with large variations of coral bommies, juvenile species of white tip reef sharks, mandarin fish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, anemone fish and a beautiful wall drop-off home to groupers and schooling reef fish. Occasionally divers are lucky enough to spot a turtle here! 45 Minutes from Lizard Island, 15 minutes travel time from the Cod hole. Depths from 10m-25m. 

Yonge Reef

55 minutes from Lizard Island, 25 minutes from the Cod hole. Yonge Reef is an adventure drift dive and snorkel site. A cormonent reef, with lots of beautiful colours, nudibranchs, moray eels and usually home to white tip reef sharks in the shallows. Depths from 5m-20m. 

Dynamite Passage

45 Minutes from Lizard island, Dynamite boasts the best coral of all the sites with a magnificent wall drop-off. Often a drift dive or snorkel with garden eels, moray eels, cuttlefish and reef sharks. A beautiful relaxing dive with lots to see. Depths from 8m-30m.

Big Softy

A beautiful, sheer wall to drift down with an amazing topography of reef with cracks and crevices throughout. A relaxing dive with tropical reef fish, occasional grey and black tip reef shark sightings and manta rays when in season. Depths from 10m-30m.

Snake Pit

For advanced divers only. Available by private charter. Prone to strong currents but known for sightings of olive riddle sea snakes! Occasional manta ray sightings, reef sharks, eagle rays, whales when in season and moray eels. Depths from 14m- 30m. Dive site only.

MacGillivary's Reef

Also known as Banks Bank, this coral sand cay reef is 20 minutes travel time from Lizard Island. A large reef system known for lots of anemone fish, schooling reef fish, moray eels, reef sharks, nudibranchs, flatworms and blue spotted lagoon rays. The sand cay is also home to noddy terns, brown footed boobies, and bridled terns. Depths from 7m-25m.

North Direction Island

35 minutes from Lizard Island, this site was used by Captain Cook, who aligned it with South Direction Island as a navigational aid. This is a sandy bottom based site known for macro life, nudibranchs, lion fish, eels, trigger fish and the resident eagle rays (along with plenty of other ray action!). Depths from 12m-25m.

Cobia Hole

Only 10 minutes from Lizard Island on a smaller vessel. A small dive site made up of boulders and rocks stacked on one another. An incredible abundance of fish schooling and macro life. Known for schools of barracuda, giant Queensland groupers, clown anemone fish, octopus, tawny nurse sharks and eels. Depths from 14m-18m  Dive site only.