DESCRIPTION
Come and explore the beautiful Sunshine Coast local reefs. Be guided all the way by a dive professional. We only take small groups so you will be in safe hands. Here on holidays? We can make a trip tailored to suit your interests, wether it is Scuba Diving beautiful reefs or exploring ship wrecks, we will make it an experience to remember. Diving on the Sunshine Coast is quite simply too easy. Not only do the coral reefs rival the marine diversity of the Great Barrier Reef, you’ll only need to spend 20 minutes on a boat getting out to the action. This is why the Sunshine Coast attracts local, state, interstate and international divers. Combine the sheer diversity of life, richness of the waters, vivid colours and lack of coral bleaching and the Sunshine Coast becomes a veritable diving haven. Sunshine Coast has beautiful local reefs just off shore ready to be explored. These include:
Jew Shoal
Jew Shoal is located in Noosa’s pristine Laguna Bay and is reachable by boat in just 20 minutes. The site itself is a large complex of canyons, ridges and bommies, with two main features. Expect to see reef fish including angelfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, globefish, rabbitfish, soapfish, morwong, sweetlip and bream – as you meander through the caves. The caves consist of several large swim throughs which are a buzz with marine life. Its gutters are covered in colourful hard and soft corals. And secondly, the pin starts at seven metres depth dropping down to 16m as you descend. There are plenty of ledges, walls, and crevices to explore. Seasonal mantas and grey nurse sharks even turn up from time to time. The coral gardens here are home to an array of marine invertebrates – sea stars, feather stars, hermit crabs, urchins, cowries and over 100 varieties of nudibranchs. Both main sites feature fantastic coral layouts to go and explore for divers of all skill levels.
Old Woman Island
The colourful coral gardens of Mudjimba (Old Woman) Island are reached in less than 20 minutes by boat from Mooloolaba. This popular shallow water dive site has a dazzling array of marine life including lots of soft corals, sea sponges, sea anemones and a variety of tropical fish. It’s a safe, easy dive that is great for beginners in its sheltered shallow waters. This site is also great for snorkelling.
Inner Gneerings
Just offshore from Mooloolaba in the warm coastal waters of the Coral Sea lies the Inner Gneerings reef system. This comprehensive coral network includes numerous diverse and amazing dive spots, including Hanging Rock, the Pinnacles, Wobby Rock, the aptly named Fairyland and many, many more. The reef of the Inner Gneerings is adorned with many beautifully coloured soft corals, black coral trees and white coral whips. The area is a divers dream with a variety of marine life including rays, loggerhead and green turtles, moray eels, wobbegongs and leopard sharks – not to mention dramatic crops and coral shelves. Watch out for the sapphire damsels and fairy basslets darting in and out of cover. This site is suitable for beginners, open water and advanced divers.
Outer Gneerings
Sunshine Coast, Queensland is home to the Outer Gneering Shoals diving site. This site is, on average around 18 metres deep but does drop down to 25 at its maximum. Visibility is usually a good, clear 15 metres which makes the site feel quite open as you are able to see a lot further than in many other diving areas. Outer Gneering Shoals is an open water site that takes approximately 30 minutes by boat to get to.
Anyone with an interest or passion for coral should dive at the Outer Gneering Shoals. Among the rock and boulder formations the coral just spreads out like a vast quilt and amongst it lies the diversity of sea life that coral attracts. In the winter months around the pinnacle you will find larger pelagic fish moving around, but smaller species such as wobbygongs, leatherjackets, baitfish, angels, wrasse, butterfly and urchins are visible at most times of the year. This site is not suitable for beginners, open water and advanced divers will appreciate these dive sites
Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain, a dive site on the Outer Gneerings Reef off Mooloolaba’s coast, is a dive for more experienced divers due to its depth and the complex structures formed by rocky outcrops. The large group of outcrops extend from the sandy ocean floor to form numerous gullies, ravines, bommies, swim-throughs and pinnacles, all housing soft and hard coral colonies. Fish calling Magic Mountain home include morwong, wrasse, leatherjackets, batfish, bullseyes, butterfly and angelfish. Numerous urchins, nudibranchs, anemones, feather and brittle stars, crabs, crayfish, wobbegongs and the occasional groper are also found on this rugged structure.
