The dive
Large, ancient boulder corals are scattered over the bottom, and ridges of plate, shrub and soft corals reach out from the inner reef edge. The plate coral communities are some of the finest on the reef. The site is often dived as a drift along the reef edge, so you cover a lot of ground, and the current keeps visibility high.
Parrotfish graze the shallows. Butterflyfish and wrasse live among the corals, while goatfish and sweetlips forage in the sand and rubble. Giant Māori wrasse call the Gardens home, and plenty of baitfish means a chance of big pelagic fish or reef sharks.
Conditions and tips
- Visibility: 12 to 30 metres, averaging about 20 metres. Great for wide-angle photos.
- Triggerfish: in summer, triggerfish nest and display here. Give them space.
- Snorkellers: one of the best snorkelling sites on the trip, from the reef flat to the edge of the back-reef sand cliff.
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
- Māori wrasseThe reef’s gentle giant: two metres of blue-green fish with a hump on its head and a face full of tattoos, happy to follow divers around.
- 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.
- Titan triggerfishThe biggest triggerfish on the reef, and the one with a reputation: give a nesting female a wide berth.
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 Horse ShoeA patch reef between Agincourt Reefs 2 and 3, in an area of strong tidal movement. You can drift it or dive it from the mooring.20 m
