Thetford Reef (Latitude 16°48’23.6″S, Longitude 146°10’30.4″E) 70 km east of Cairns and a short boat trip from the popular Green Island. This 2 km long reef, appears to have it all, with scattered coral heads, sandy floor areas inviting glittering schools of sea life, and lots of swim-throughs for adventure-seekers.
There are numerous places with canyons and passages to explore, good visibility, an abundance of colours, and many coral heads. There are multiple swim-throughs and several sizable bommies on this reef. This reef location offers an excellent overnight anchorage as well as shallow night diving.
Thetford Reef is also circled by larger pelagic fish, including mackerel, tuna, trevally, wrasse, spangled emperor, red bass, blue and gold fusiliers and sergeant majors. This is an ideal spot for divers who are interested in encountering larger marine life.
Dive sites
Depth Range: 5-20 metres
Visibility: 15-20 metres
- 360
- East meets West
- Cathedral
- Blue Lagoon
Corals
- large Gorgonian Corals
- Boulder Head Corals
- Soft Corals
Keep an eye out for pygmy seahorses in the Gorgonian Coral.
Marine Life
- Anemones
- Damselfish
- Butterflyfish
- Angelfish out for pipefish
- Giant clams
- Rabbitfish
