Reefwander
Turquoise lagoon water over a shallow coral reef at Cocos (Keeling) Islands, with a kitesurfer crossing the shallows

Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Australia · Reef

Two Trees

Line up the two green trees on shore and anchor in 12–14 m

Area photo: photoboothrental.com · CC BY-SA 3.0

An easy site anchored in 12 to 14 m, named long before GPS for the two large green trees that stand out from the coconut palms on the shoreline behind it. The trees are still how the boat lines the spot up, and the dive is a straightforward one off the anchor in a modest depth range.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Two Trees: typical dive 12–14 m (40–46 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit12 m14 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.1598° S, 96.8165° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The site is found from the surface rather than from anything underwater. The skipper picks a spot between the two green trees on the shoreline and anchors in 12 to 14 m, which is how the site was located long before GPS and how it is still described, and the anchor line becomes the reference for both the descent and the way back at the end of the dive.

The anchor goes down in 12 to 14 m, and that is the only depth published for the site, so plan a modest profile and treat the line as the fixed point. Work out from it, keep a rough count of the time spent heading away, and turn on pressure rather than on any feature, since nothing here is described as a landmark. Because the site is dived off the anchor rather than as a drift, ending the dive where you started is part of the plan.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Two Trees
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGood

Season follows Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Divable year-round; Apr–Jun and Oct–Nov are calmest, with the wet season from December to March bringing more wind.

Questions divers ask

Why is the site called Two Trees?+

It was named many years ago, before GPS, for two large green trees on the shoreline that stand out from the surrounding coconut trees and were used to line the spot up.

Sources

  1. Two Trees - Cocos (Keeling) Islands — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide

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