Diving off Townsville falls into two distinct categories; coastal and close island diving, and reef diving.

The closest "Barrier Reef" reefs are 36-40 nautical miles off the coast and can only be safely accessed by vessels 5-6 metres or larger due to sea and weather conditions.The club usually schedules a reef trip each month, but this does not always happen due to winds above 15-20km/hour. On reef trips the vizibility is 15-20 metres on average, with the reefs further out providing up to 30m viz.

There are closer islands such as Magnetic Island, only 10 nautical miles from Townsville, and the Palm group, which is 30 nautical miles from Townsville.

Rockhopping diving normally does not occur in Townsville due to very poor visibility in Cleveland Bay, however Magnetic Island which can be accessed by a ferry service often provides good fish amongst the granite boulders that line the shore, or the fringing reefs. Island viz is very much subject to local winds, and is generally in the order of 3-5 metres. Either our home page or weather links page will provide links to current weather conditions for the coast and nearby reefs.