Hook Island
The Pinnacles
Widely considered
to be one of the best Whitsunday snorkel & diving sites,
The Pinnacles offers some great hard corals,
Giant Maori Wrasse, Parrot Fish and the
majestic Manta Rays are common between May
and October. Sloping from 5 to 21 metres,
the bommies will rise to within 3 metres
of the surface making the site good for
both snorkellers and divers. Located on
the North Eastern corner of Hook Island,
Pinnacle Bay is subject to some uncomfortable
anchoring during strong South East winds
and Northerlies over five knots.
Location: 20°0.3', 148°50'
The
Wood Pile
A great Dropoff dive but not really suitable
for snorkelling. The fish life is similar
to that of The Pinnacles with a good number
of Black and White Tip Reef Sharks. The
Wood Pile is located at the opposite end
of Pinnacle Bay to The Pinnacles and the
area is protected from South East winds
up to 15 knots.
Location: 20°03.6', 148°57.6'
Mantaray
Bay
Mantaray Bay is one of the most well known
snorkelling and diving locations in the Whitsundays particularly
with charter boats, mostly because it is
so well protected. Anchoring is prohibited
and during the day a two hour limit applies
to the moorings. Hand feeding fish is common
and don't be to surprised as the Batfish
swarm the back of your vessel when you arrive.
Diving is best straight from the boat but
there is not a great deal below about 15
metres.
Location: 20°03.7', 148°57.4'
Luncheon
Bay
Luncheon Bay provides a nice bommie for
Whitsunday diving and some nice shallow reefs for snorkel.
Again the area is very popular with the
charter boats so don't expect to have the
bay to yourself. The area is subject to
strong currents so keep this in mind when
planning your dive.
Location: 20°03.8', 148°57.3'
Maureen's
Cove
Maureen's Cove is not the best choice for
snorkelling in the Whitsundays but offers some great shallow
dives with some nice caves and ledges from
12 to 15 metres. You are likely to find
Angelfish, Butterfly Cod, Coral Trout and
Sweetlip. It is very well protected, except
from northerlies.
Location: 20°04.1', 148°56.2'
Saba
Bay
Saba Bay is located on the eastern side
of Hook Island and is a popular spot for diving in the Whitsundays
during northerlies but is rather exposed
to southerly winds. Good diving on bommies
at 7 - 12 metres and good coral cover in
shallow water.
Location: 20°07.2', 148°56.6'
Hayman Island
Dolphin
Point
Located on the northern tip of Hayman Island,
Dolphin Point offers a great diversity of
marine life and some spectacular undulating
terrain. Scattered bommies and fallen blocks
litter the bottom at about 18 metres. Trevally,
mackerel and clown fish are present and
you may also come across the occasional
hammerhead shark.
Location: 20°03.3', 148°52.8'
Blue
Pearl Bay
Blue Pearl Bay is very popular for both
Whitsunday diving & snorkel. Especially with charter
boats. A diverse range of tropical fish
life is always present and a vertical wall
at 15 metres offers some good coral cover,
tunnels and overhanging ledges.
Location: 20°03.9', 148°52.8'
Cataran
Bay, Border Island
A great snorkelling location in the Whitsundays as almost everything
worth seeing is above six metres. There
is a good cover of very colorful coral which
becomes very shallow at low tide, making
the shore only accessible during high tide.
Location: 20°09.5', 149°02.0'
Hannah Point,
North Molle Island
In interesting dive, often used for a night
diving spot in the Whitsundays. The visibility is usually not as good
as Hook or Hayman Islands but there is some
good corals and fish life. Watch for the
current off the point.
Location: 20°12.9', 148°48.4'
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