SILVERSWIFT DIVE SITES
Silverswift takes you to many exclusive dive sites on some of the very best Outer Great Barrier Reef locations at Flynn, Pellowe, Milln and/or Thetford Reefs. These sites are chosen for their magnificent coral formations, varied marine life and underwater visibility. They have superb bay-like dive and snorkel sites providing spectacular underwater sand dunes and remote steppingstone-like coral bommie systems. These sites are also renowned for their congregating schools of large pelagic fish.
Flynn Reef
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Coral Gardens
Location: Flynn Reef
Maximum Depth: 30m
Visibility: 15 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Coral Gardens features a 30 metre wall. Flynn Reef offers excellent wall dives, swimthroughs, overhangs and night diving. See giant clams, fan coral and staghorn thickets in the sand, and pelagics including trevally and Spanish mackerel. During summer months, leopard sharks and occasional whale shark sightings.
Marine Life: Clownfish, batfish, trout, cod, fusiliers, butterflyfish, angelfish, basslets/anthias. Many species of soft corals and hard corals such as staghorn, table, plate and boulder corals. Larger reef sharks, large school big eye trevally and chevron barracuda. Manta rays, devil rays and eagle
rays.
Gordon’s Mooring
Location: Flynn Reef
Maximum Depth: 22m
Visibility: 15m
Site: Gordon’s Mooring has some great swim-throughs and overhangs amongst the variety of smaller bommies. Features a wide range of corals such as brain and plate and diverse marine life including large established giant clam gardens.
Marine Life: A phenomenal array of corals. Giant clams, clown fish, reef sharks, yellowtail and great barracuda. A great site for Green and Hawkesbill turtles and occasional Loggerhead turtles.
Tracey’s Bommie
Location: Flynn Reef
Maximum Depth: 22m
Visibility: 15 – 25m Avg: 20m
Site: The site drops off around the back of the bommie into deeper water – a common area for sighting cruising reef sharks and eagle rays. The variety at this site makes it very popular with photographers. The shallows are excellent for snorkellers with plenty of small and colourful fish such as clownfish making their home amongst the corals in gorgeous secluded and pristine lagoons.
Marine Life: Maori wrasse, clownfish, blue spotted rays, giant moray eels, colourful nudibranchs, cuttlefish, crayfish during night dives, unicorn surgeonfish, batfish, triggerfish and many fish cleaning stations.
Milln Reef
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Pools
Location: Milln Reef
Maximum Depth: 21m
Visibility: 15 – 20m Avg: 15m
Site: A dive amongst the coral outcrops and small bommies over a sandy seabed. Average dive depth is about 10 metres, a very popular site for its abundance of fish in the shallows. An excellent night dive with sleeping turtles and barracudas sighted regularly.
Marine Life: Diagonally banded sweetlips, nudibranchs, turtles, barracuda and bull rays. Look out for Gorgonian fans on the outer bommie and swim through.
Petaj
Location: Milln Reef
Maximum Depth: 20m
Visibility: 15 – 25m Avg: 15m
Site: An excellent wall dive and swim through, Petaj is home to resident turtles and white tip reef sharks. Most of the walls are full of sleeping parrot fish in their mucus sacks, turtles and barracudas andthe occasional bull ray. Features fan coral and staghorn thickets in the sand.
Marine Life: Turtles, barracuda, clownfish, batfish, trout, cod, fusiliers, butterflyfish, angelfish, basslets and white tip reef sharks.
Whale Bommie
Location: Milln Reef
Maximum Depth: 30m
Visibility: 15 – 25m Avg: 15m
Site: An excellent wall dive site offering good depth, the ‘Whale’ is a large isolated bommie with abundant marine life – the best deep dive! On a low tide, waves break at the top of the bommie creating a plume of water similar to a whale, hence the site’s name. A great night dive – expect to see sleeping turtles, reef crabs, painted lobsters and some great soft corals and gorgonian fans.
Marine Life: Sleeping white tipped reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish are common on morning dives. Turtles, reef crabs, painted lobsters.
Thetford reef
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Blue Lagoon
Location: Thetford Reef
Maximum Depth: 18m
Visibility: 10m
Site: A very protected reef site. Lagoon with surroundin bommies and shallow sand area. Sloping sandy bottom best up in the shallows and a great snorkel site. Thetford Reef is made up of numerous coral bommies where you can experience some very exciting wall dives and many swim-throughs. This reef is home to many soft and hard corals like staghorn, boulder and plate coral and an abundance of marine life.
Marine Life: Giant clams, butterflyfish, damsels and angelfish. Damselfish hide in the soft coral and dash out to catch planktonic food. Wrasse, parrotfish, black tip reef sharks, emperors and surgeonfish are common.
Cathedral’s
Location: Thetford Reef
Maximum Depth: 30m
Visibility: 15 – 20m
Site: A dive amongst the coral outcrops and small bommies over a sandy seabed. Average dive depth is about 10 metres, a very popular site for its abundance of fish in the shallows. An excellent night dive with sleeping turtles and barracudas sighted regularly.
Marine Life: Diagonally banded sweetlips, nudibranchs, turtles, barracuda and bull rays. Look out for Gorgonian fans on the outer bommie and swim through.
Pellowe Reef
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Cucumber Alley
Location: Pellowe Reef
Maximum Depth: 15 – 20m
Visibility: 15 – 20m
Site: Pellowe Reef is a very exciting dive site! A small isolated reef located close to the edge of the Continental Shelf. For this reason access to the reef is very weather and tidal dependent. The reef drops away very quickly at places to 30 metres and stronger currents can be present as well. This site offers divers an exciting wall dive and one great swim through. The majority of the dives will be in depths between 5 to 20 metres.
Marine Life: Being closer to the Continental Shelf, large pelagic fish can be sighted, schools of giant trevally, grey and white tip reef sharks are common as well as numerous sea cucumbers.
SILVERSONIC DIVE SITES
Silversonic visits a selection of over 35 stunning & exclusive World Heritage reef sites at the Agincourt reefs at the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Here, special reefs known as ‘ribbons’ run parallel to the Continental Shelf. Adjacent to the Coral Sea trench, these ribbon reefs are recognised as the most pristine eco-systems in the reef’s environment. Clear water provides the best possible underwater visibility, encourages rich coral growth and supports spectacular marine life.
Agincourt Reef 1
The Agincourt reefs are a cluster of distinctively separate reefs. Located at the southern end of the Agincourt reefs chain, Agincourt Reef 1 showcases rich coral diversity and marine life.
Rating:
Novice to intermediate
Visibility:
8 – 35 metres
Depth:
5 – 24 metres
Whaler Point
Location: Agincourt 1
Maximum Depth: 20m
Visibility: 8 – 30m Avg: 15m
Site: The southern end of Agincourt reef 1, this beautiful site is rich in coral diversity – boulder, staghorn, plate and abundant soft corals.
Marine Life: Sharks, Rays, Barracuda, Oceanic Sweetlip, Parrotfish, Drummers and heaps of small shoaling fish.
Castle Rock
Location: Agincourt 1
Maximum Depth: 24m
Visibility: 8 – 35m Avg: 15m
Site: An unusual patch reef with a 24 metre exposed wall and spectacular garden reef on the lee side of the reef. Because of its location a variety of larger marine life tend to congregate here.
Marine Life: Sharks, Rays, Groper, Oceanic Sweetlip, Oceanic Trout, Moray Eels and Anthias
Agincourt Reef 2
From the stunning Nursery Bommie, regarded as one of the best dive sites in the region, to wall diving at Izzy’s Wall, here’s a snapshot of some of the amazing sites Silversonic visits at Agincourt Reef 2.
Rating:
Novice to intermediate
Visibility:
8 – 30 metres
Depth:
5 – 30 metres
The Gardens
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 10m
Visibility: 12 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Shallow lagoon site with a mass of boulder corals scattered over the bottom. We often drift this site allowing us to see a large area of reef. The current also means the visibility is often exceptional.
Marine Life: Parrotfish, Goatfish, Milkfish, Feather Stars, Chromids, Fusiliers, Titan Triggerfish.
Barracuda Bommie
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 22m
Visibility: 12 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Fantastic pinnacle with schools of barracuda circling the bommie. Great fish life including lion fish. Sandy shallows covered in boulder corals also make this an ideal snorkel site.
Marine Life: Barracuda, Dog Tooth Tuna, Fairy Basslets, Fusiliers, Drummers, Feather Stars, Goatfish.
Horseshoe Reef
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 20m
Visibility: 12 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: When possible we drift dive along the northern edge of the reef. Huge schools of luminescent Blue Fusiliers hug the walls as Trevally and Red Bass patrol the edges.
Marine Life: Blue Fusiliers, Mackerel, Trevally, Red Bass, Humphead Parrot Fish and Maori Wrasse.
Turtle Bay
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 22m
Visibility: 10 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Located at the northern end of Agincourt 2d this sheltered location is home to a large loggerhead turtle regularly seen during the summer months. The reef wall is decorated in hard and soft corals and a short swim brings you to the front of the reef, where many pelagic species such as trevally, mackerel and sharks can be encountered.
Marine Life: Sea Cucumbers, Parrotfish, White Tip Reef Sharks, Sweetlips, Giant Clams, Goatfish, Chromids and Fusiliers.
West End
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 15m
Visibility: 8 – 25m Avg: 15m
Site: A magical garden reef with frequent visits from a very large Maori Wrasse. A major plus for this site is that it has the largest swim through caves in the area.
Marine Life: Maori Wrasse, Trout, Potato Cod, Parrot Fish and Surgeon Fish.
Nursery Bommie
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 24m
Visibility: 12 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: A stunning 24 metre Pinnacle surrounded by an amazing variety of marine life. Considered to be one of the best sites in the area.
Marine Life: Sharks, Stingrays, Barracuda, Trevally, Drummers, Moray Eels, Snapper, and Anthias.
Izzy’s Wall
Location: Agincourt 2
Maximum Depth: 30m
Visibility: 12 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Wall and drift dive.
Marine Life: Turtles, Sharks, baby Whaler Sharks, fusiliers and Anthias.
Agincourt Reef 3
From sandy lagoons littered with coral pinnacles and an old fishing boat wreck at the aptly named “Wreck” site, to the thrill of diving and snorkelling along a reef wall with numerous small grottos at The Gap, here’s a snapshot of some of the sites Silversonic visits at Agincourt Reef 3.
Rating:
Novice to intermediate
Visibility:
10 – 40 metres
Depth:
5 – 30 metres
The Gap
Location: Agincourt 3
Maximum Depth: 12m
Visibility: 12 – 25m Avg: 15m
Site: Lagoon type gutter, close to the reef crest. Drift dive and snorkel often available along a, fascinating reef wall with numerous small grottos.
Marine Life: Golden Goatfish, large schools of Sweetlips, Groper, Boulder and Staghorn coral beds.
Wreck Site
Location: Agincourt 3
Maximum Depth: 24m
Visibility: 12 – 40m Avg: 20m
Site: Sandy lagoon littered with imposing 12 metre pinnacles. In the shallows lie the remains of a Taiwanese fishing vessel.
Marine Life: Red Bass, Spangled Emperor, Rays, Coral Trout, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Clownfish (Nemo) and Groper.
Phil’s Reef
Location: Agincourt 3
Maximum Depth: 16m
Visibility: 10 – 30m Avg: 15m
Site: Stunning patch reef with a spectacular array of corals, huge plates providing perfect ambush grounds for a variety of Groper.
Marine Life: White Tip Reef Sharks, Groper, Cuttlefish, Hussar Snapper, Blue Spot Lagoon Rays and Giant Clams.
Stonehenge
Location: Agincourt 3
Maximum Depth: 20m
Visibility: 10 – 30m Avg: 15m
Site: Stonehenge is rich in coral diversity, awesome swim throughs.
Marine Life: Expect to see Giant Clams, Clownfish (Nemo), Cuttlefish, Fusiliers, Reef Sharks.
Coronation Corner
Location: Agincourt 3
Maximum Depth: 25m
Visibility: 12 – 40m Avg: 20m
Site: Located at the southern end of Agincourt 3.
Marine Life: Expect to see Sharks, Cuttlefish, Barracuda, Sweetlips and Fusiliers.
Agincourt Reef 4
Located at the Northern end of the Agincourt reef chain, Agincourt Reef 4 showcases a rich tapestry of coral and marine diversity. Experience the pretty garden site of The Three Sisters with its three prominent coral bommies to the stunning patch reef with swim-throughs at The Chapel. Here’s a snapshot of some of our Agincourt Reef 4 sites.
Rating:
Missing information
Visibility:
10 – 40 metres
Depth:
5 – 40 metres
Harry’s Bommie
Location: Agincourt 4
Maximum Depth: 16m
Visibility: 10 – 30m Avg: 15m
Site: A stunning garden reef scattered around the pinnacles and patch reefs of Agincourt 4. A favourite amongst Dive Instructors and a site regularly visited by juvenile Grey Reef Whalers and occasionally Manta Rays.
Marine Life: Sharks, Rays, Groper, Oceanic Sweetlip, Oceanic Trout, Moray Eels and Anthias.
Three Sisters
Location: Agincourt 4
Maximum Depth: 20m
Visibility: 15 – 30m Avg: 18m
Site: Pretty garden site with 3 prominent bommies, 50m from the mooring. The site is often visited by juvenile Grey Reef Whalers and huge schools of congregating fish.
Marine Life: Grey Reef Whalers, White Tip Reef Sharks, Red Bars, Spangled Emperor, Fusiliers and Stingrays.
The Chapel
Location: Agincourt 4
Maximum Depth: 18m
Visibility: 10 – 35m Avg: 15m
Site: Located on Agincourt 4, this stunning patch reef is home to a diverse array of corals including plate, boulder, staghorn and seafans with several “swim throughs”. Perfect habitat for sea anemones and their resident clownfish.
Marine Life: A huge diversity of some the reef’s most interesting animals including grey reef whaler sharks, cuttlefish, giant clams, clownfish, turtles and schools of baitfish.
Gary’s Gut
Location: Agincourt 4
Maximum Depth: 40m
Visibility: 12 – 40m Avg: 20m
Site: Terrific wall plunging from 5 to 40 metres. Great to just swim out and look back at the drop to get the sense of size. Look out for fan corals and sharks. This site offers a great contrast to others you will visit.
Marine Life: Unicorn Fish, unique Butterfly Species, Surf Parrotfish, White Tip Reef Sharks, Xenias (soft corals).
The Point
Location: Agincourt 4
Maximum Depth: 25m
Visibility: 15 – 30m Avg: 20m
Site: Excellent site at the southern end of Agincourt 4 with magnificent coral cover. Large schools of Red Bass and Goldmann’s Sweetlips around the point, with cruising barracuda schools and big eyed trevally.
Marine Life: Large schools of Red Bass, Maori Wrasse, Big Eyed Bream, Barracuda, Grey Reef Sharks, Trout, and Fairy Basslets.
