The dive
Drift dives run along the northern edge, down to 20 metres. The strong tidal flow keeps the coral in excellent shape, with large areas of plate and branching coral. Near the mooring you’ll find several large clams.
Depending on the tide, big numbers of red bass, Goldman’s sweetlips and bigeye trevally gather on either side of the reef. Over the shallow reef top, humphead parrotfish cruise alone or in groups of up to thirty. On the sand, look for garden eels. Green turtles and yellowtail fusiliers sometimes join you on the dive.
Conditions and tips
Visibility is 12 to 30 metres, averaging about 20 metres. The tide drives this site, so listen to your briefing on whether it’s a drift or a static dive on the day.
How to dive it
You dive Agincourt Reef on a day trip from Port Douglas. Certified divers get up to three guided dives at three different sites, with a full briefing before each one. Sites are chosen on the day to suit the weather and tides, so we can’t promise a particular site.
Dive it with us
Port Douglas boat dives
Agincourt’s outer-reef bommies: walls, sharks and the big pelagics.
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.
- TrevallyBigeye trevally schooling in a slow silver tornado, and giant trevally hunting the reef edge.
- 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.
- Giant clamMetre-wide shells with mantles of electric blue, green and purple, some of them a century old.
Nearby sites
- Reef dive · Agincourt Reef Barracuda BommieA deep-water pinnacle on the sheltered side of a small ribbon reef at Agincourt Reef 2, right on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s one of the most popular sites on the Agincourt trips.22 m
- Reef dive · Agincourt Reef Gary’s GutA wall on the outer edge of Agincourt Reef 4 that plunges from 5 metres to 40 metres. It averages about 20 metres, so it suits Open Water divers, and it’s a favourite with repeat divers.40 m
- Reef dive · Agincourt Reef Harry’s BommieA garden reef among the pinnacles and patch reefs west of Agincourt Reef 4. It’s a favourite with dive instructors.16 m
- Reef dive · Agincourt Reef Nursery BommieOne of the most spectacular dive sites on the Agincourt Reef system: a pinnacle rising from 25 metres to 16 metres, behind a small ribbon reef at Agincourt Reef 2.24 m
