Saxon Reef is located in between Norman Reef and Hastings Reef and is a haven of marine life and thriving coral colonies. Relatively smaller in size than our other Great Barrier Reef destinations at just 1.9 square kilometers, Saxon is a spectacular reef location not often frequented by many other tour operators and therefore is a pristine, untouched snorkelling and diving paradise. Saxon Reef offers an abundance of diverse areas to explore for both snorkelers and scuba divers.

Snorkelling

Float straight off the back deck of the boat and snorkelers enjoy the coral bommies and reef tops of Saxon Reef. Want to find Nemo? There’s no better place to look! Sloping walls are adorned with colourful clownfish anemones and Spanish dancer flatworms.

Saxon Reef is covered by many shallow platforms which illuminate the reefs colourful coral structures and are a sanctuary for schooling damsel fish and fusiliers. Marine turtles are at home here and unperturbed by people, will gracefully come up to the surface to take long breaths of air.

Diving

The collection of bommies each have their own special coral features making it no wonder that moray eels, large cod, barramundi, and painted crayfish congregate throughout. Huge underwater mountains of coral lead to sandy bottoms where sharks and stingrays dwell during the day. Dive back to the boat along the shallow wall and discover a plethora of soft coral, lionfish and hopefully a green turtle along the way!

Fun Fact: Coral ‘Bommies’ are underwater reef structures, short for ‘bombora’ – an Aboriginal word meaning outcrop or mountain of reef.

Reef Sites

There are many sites that we visit along Saxon Reef and each has a variety of attractions on offer. These include; Twin Peaks Mooring, Clipper Mooring and Turtle Bommie Mooring.