Diving Guide > Australia > Coral Sea (Southern Coral Sea Reefs) - Gladstone, Queensland , Australia Scuba Diving Guide

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While Coral Sea Reefs maybe Great Barrier Reef closest neighbours, diving in these two areas are actually quite different. Reefs at Coral Sea are well known for their residents shark, pelagics action and gin clear water. To know more details on Coral Sea Reefs, please visit our Coral Sea Reefs scuba diving guide. In this page, our attention is on reefs in the Southern Coral Sea. The Southern Coral Sea Reefs Group consists of a number of reefs. Listed here are Marion Reef, Frederick Reef, Saumarez Reef and Wreck Reef. Divings in this group of reefs are different other sections because of sea snakes. This area has a huge population of sea snakes. Several species of snakes are found here, the most common being the olive sea snake. Sea snakes are some of the most venomous creatures on Earth. However, they are known to be more curious than aggressive. As much as divers like to explore their territories, the sea snakes are very curious of divers and will swim around the divers and even peak into their masks. This may be unnerving at the begining but divers will be glad to know that most of these snakes do not have fangs long enough to penetrate the wet suits. After a while, divers will be acustomed to such attentions from our reptile friends and will start to appreciate this as part of the diving experience that can be found here. The Southern Coral Sea Reefs group is closest to the Mackay/Capricorn Section of Great Barrier Reefs. This group of reef is not regularly dived. Most of the trips to these reefs are specially arrange chartered boats. The corals found here lack varieties and size when compared to their northern neighbours. Nevertheless, the place make up this shortcoming by having good fish life and of course our reptile friends.

Dive Sites around Coral Sea (Southern Coral Sea Reefs)

• Marion Reef
  Marion Reef is an atoll located about 400km Northeast of Mackay. The atoll is about 30km in diameter and has a large lagoon that offers safe anchorage in it. There are many pinnacles inside this lagoon that sit in depth from 10 to 60 meters. Coral growths in these pinnacles, while not spectacular, are healthy. Reef sharks and sea snakes are residents here and patrol the reef earnestly.
  
  
• Frederick Reef
  This reef is approximately 10 km in length and is located about 110km East of Swain Reefs. On the Northern side of Frederick Reef are extensive hard coral gardens that provide shelters for many small reef fish and invertebrates. Other residents of the reef include turtles, stingrays, whitetip reef sharks, shovelnose rays and coral groupers.
  
  
• Saumarez Reef
  This is the most popular reef of the Southern Coral Sea Reefs group. The reef is located some 60 km East of Swain Reefs and is about 30km in length. The northern side of Saumarez Reef has the best dive sites of this reef. One of the more interesting site is the North East Cay. Here, there are numerous small caves in the coral gardens. In these caves, divers can lookout for rock lobster, Wobbegong sharks, turtle, stingray and nurse sharks. Marine visitors to this site includes Eagle Rays and reef sharks.
  
  
  
  
• Wreck Reefs
  This site has many scattered remains of ships. The reef is about 30 km long. Divers can find wrecks in on the reef itself and in the reef's shallow lagoon. The best dive here is a reef wall off Bird Island. The wall drops 200m into the seabed and has a healthy growth of soft corals, sea whips and gorgonians. Away from the wall, divers will see some pelagic fish cruising by.
  
  

Best Time to Dive in Coral Sea (Southern Coral Sea Reefs)

Where to Stay in Gladstone

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