ZOOS SANCTUARIES AQUARIUMS AND WILDLIFE PARKS HERON ISLAND

Almost every diver that visits Heron Island ends up snorkelling or diving Heron Harbour. This man-made harbour allows boat access to the island, but also attracts a surprising amount of marine life that is clearly visible from the jetty. This spot is best dived or snorkelled at high tide, but even then the depth is only four metres deep. Under the jetty are schools of sweetlips, trevally and numerous gropers that circle the pylons. The sandy bottom is a resting place for stingrays and shovelnose rays, but also common are lionfish, reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays. Unfortunately you can only get in the water in Heron Harbour in the early morning or late afternoon, as at other times access is restricted due to boat traffic....

Fortunately there is a lot more to see than a Hole In The Wall at this dive site at Heron Island. Located north of the harbour, this dive site has coral walls, gutters, caves and ledges to explore in depths to 20 metres. Residing in the many caves and ledges are moray eels, crayfish, tasselled wobbegongs, squirrelfish, soldierfish and stingrays. Likely other sites at Heron Island, Hole In The Wall is often done as a drift dive, allowing divers an effort free ride through the site. However, you will find yourself stopping from time to time to watch turtles, schools of hussars, batfish, trevally and maybe a whitetip reef shark. This site is also home to a great range of reef fish and invertebrate species, but you have to stop and search for some of the smaller critters found here, such as nudibranchs, blennies and pipefish....

The Coral Gardens is a nice easy dive that any divers will enjoy at Heron Island. Located just south of the Heron Harbour, this coral slope is usually done as a drift dive. While there are pretty coral gardens in the shallows to explore, the main feature of the site is the sloping reef wall and numerous bommies in the channel in depths to 20 metres. Sheltering in and around these bommies are hussars, whitetip reef sharks, moray eels, fusiliers and stingrays. The reef wall is cut by gutters and ledges, and a good place to find resting turtles. Pelagic fish constantly cruise the wall, so keep an eye out for trevally, mackerel and batfish....

Divers will find a lot to explore at Pams Point, Heron Island. This site has wonderful fields of staghorn coral in the shallows and a scattering of bommies in depths to 20 metres. Both terrains are worth exploring, so you might find yourself zigzagging up and down the reef trying to see it all. Washed by gentle currents, Pams Point is a good place to see pelagic fish, such as trevally, barracuda and mackerel. However this site is also well known for its turtles, stingrays and eagle rays. Abundant reef fish also populate this lovely dive site, including angelfish, parrotfish and blue tangs....

Heron Island’s most famous dive site is the always spectacular Heron Bommie. Located just outside the harbour, this group of six bommies is found on a sandy slope in depths from 8 metres to 18 metres. The bommies themselves are colourful, decorated with corals, but are often ignored as divers are two busy marvelling at the fish, turtles and other marine life. Heron Bommie is a haven for marine life, on a typical dive you will see tasselled wobbegong sharks, whitetip reef sharks, stingrays, coral trout, batfish, gropers, sweetlips, snappers, hussars, emperors, trevally, barracuda and many other species. And the best thing about Heron Bommie is that the fish are so accustom to divers that they are happy to pose for your camera. Green turtles are a feature of the site, as they use the bommies as a resting place. It is not uncommon to see a dozen turtles on a dive. This site is also a good place to see nudibranchs, moray eels, shrimps, crabs and octopus, and as the site is a giant cleaning station don’t be surprised if a manta ray turns up to get its daily service....

Wistari Reef is located only one kilometre south of Heron Island and is a popular site for diving. The best dive site on this reef is the brilliant Wistari Wall. This sloping wall drops from 3 metres to 20 metres and is decorated with many lovely corals. Cruising the wall divers will see pretty hard and soft corals and some wonderful gorgonian fans. Best done as a drift dive, the current that sweeps along Wistari Wall attracts pelagic fish like trevally, mackerel, rainbow runners, barracuda, batfish and tuna. A good population of reef fish also reside here, alongside turtles, tasselled wobbegongs and reef sharks. Other resident species include coral trout, gropers and a family of Maori wrasse. This site is also a good place to see the occasional olive sea snake. These marine reptiles are high venomous, but also very docile and pose no threat to divers if left alone....

The University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station is a world-class research and teaching facility. It is the largest island-based research station in the Southern Hemisphere with a rich history of research, event pre-dating its construction in 1951. The facility is utilised by over 60 institutions, domestic and international, as part of educational programs, workshops and of course as a base from which to conduct ground-breaking research. A Heron Island Research Station tour is run daily by station staff, providing detailed insight into how the station operates and the research that is conducted there. Enquire at Resort Reception for tour availability. ...

The Blue Pools is a popular snorkelling spot at Heron Island, but is also a wonderful place to dive. While snorkellers generally limited themselves to the sheltered cove in the reef, divers are free to explore the sloping coral reef and numerous gutters, ledges and caves. Going no deeper than 15 metres divers will find the Blue Pools alive with fish life, including anemonefish, triggerfish, sweetlips, snappers, butterflyfish and schools of hussars. This site also has pretty hard corals and is a good location to see whitetip reef sharks. Other species seen at Blue Pools include turtles, stingrays, mackerel and barracuda....