The sites
Milln Reef has several dive sites, including Whale Bommie, Petaj Mooring, Swimming Pools I and II, and Fish Town.
- Petaj: home to resident turtles and white-tip reef sharks.
- Swimming Pools: schools of diagonal-banded sweetlips, and nudibranchs.
- Whale Bommie: depths of more than 20 metres.
Across the reef you’ll find walls, pinnacles and swim-throughs. Look out for turtles, barracuda and the occasional bull ray.
At night
Milln is a great reef for night diving. Some of the walls are full of parrotfish asleep in their mucus sacks. At Whale Bommie after dark, expect sleeping turtles, reef crabs, painted lobsters, soft corals and gorgonian fans.
First-time night divers get guidance on their first night dive.
How to dive Milln Reef
You dive Milln Reef on the 3 day / 2 night liveaboard, with up to 11 dives including 2 night dives. The skipper sets the order of sites to suit the weather, tides and currents. Doing your Advanced course? Its night dive is on the same trip. You can also dive Milln Reef on the Silverswift reef day trip.
Dive it with us
Cairns liveaboard, 3 days / 2 nights
Up to 11 dives on the outer reefs, including night dives.
See the trip
Cairns reef day trips
Two dives on the outer reef and back in town for dinner.
See the tripWhere it is
What you might see
- Green turtleThe turtle you’ll meet most on the reef: grazing on the shallows, resting under ledges, surfacing to breathe beside the boat.
- Loggerhead turtleThe big-headed turtle of the reef, with a crushing beak for crabs and shellfish. Regulars at Coral Gardens and Milln Reef.
- Whitetip reef sharkThe slender shark asleep under the ledge. Harmless, curious at night, and a resident at several of our sites.
- BarracudaSilver schools that hang in the blue off the bommies, sometimes hundreds thick, with a few solitary big ones.
- ParrotfishFrom the crunching schools of bumpheads to the sleeping bags of mucus at night, parrotfish are the reef’s builders and gardeners.
- SweetlipsStriped, spotted and thick-lipped, hanging in patient schools under the overhangs by day.
Nearby sites
- Reef dive · Outer reef Flynn ReefFlynn Reef is one of the most popular reefs on our 3-day outer-reef trips from Cairns. It has plenty for new divers and very experienced divers alike.25 m
- Reef dive · Outer reef Pellowe ReefPellowe Reef is a small, isolated reef close to the edge of the continental shelf. Access depends on the weather, and when it allows, the diving is spectacular.30 m
- Reef dive · Outer reef Thetford ReefThetford Reef is made up of many coral bommies, with wall dives and swim-throughs. We visit it in mild weather on our 3-day outer-reef trips from Cairns.30 m
- Reef dive · Flynn Reef Coral GardensA large, sheltered area of staghorn coral on the outer reef, visited on our 3-day trips from Cairns. It suits every level and is a favourite with underwater photographers.
