Lady Elliot Island · Australia · Cave & cavern · Wall · Drift
Hiro's Cave
A twin-entrance overhang at 24 m below a 16 m cleaning station
Area photo: Christo.j.brown · CC BY-SA 4.0
The southern end of the island's east ledge, and the last of the three sites on that drift. A large overhang — smaller than the Blow Hole — opens through two entrances at 24 metres, and a cleaning station at 16 metres sits above it, where mantas and silvertip sharks circle. Gorgonian fans cover the wall between the two.
Also known as Hiros Cave.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Lady Elliot Island and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
Hiro's Cave finishes the east-side run. Divers usually arrive on the current after the Blow Hole and Tubes, drifting south along a ledge that covers 10 to 25 metres, and the resort reckons a relaxed diver can reach all three sites on one dive. The cave itself is a large overhang, smaller than the Blow Hole, with two entrances at 24 metres.
The shallower half is where the animals are. A cleaning station at 16 metres draws manta rays and silvertip sharks that circle it while divers watch from the ledge. Big gorgonian fans decorate the main wall, schools of pelagics hold off in the deeper water, and the overhang is packed with large reef fish — titan triggerfish, painted flutemouth and manyspot sweetlip among them.
The whole ledge is covered in life: angelfish, jacks, anemones full of clownfish, turtles and schooling reef fish all the way along. It lies inside the Green Zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the highest classification the park authority designates, so nothing is taken from it and the fans on the wall stay untouched.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Lady Elliot Island: Mantas peak May–Aug when cooler water brings them in; humpbacks pass Jun–Oct and turtles nest Nov–Mar.
Know before you go
- The entrances are at 24 m, the deepest part of the dive and usually the end of a drift — watch gas and no-decompression time before dropping into the overhang.
- Do not chase the mantas or silvertips at the 16 m cleaning station; hold position on the ledge and let them work the circuit.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Hiro's Cave?+
The overhang has two entrances at 24 metres, which the resort lists as the site's depth, while the cleaning station above it sits at about 16 metres.
What can you see at Hiro's Cave?+
Manta rays and silvertip sharks visit the cleaning station at 16 m. The overhang holds titan triggerfish, painted flutemouth and manyspot sweetlip, with gorgonian fans on the wall and schooling pelagics in the deeper water.
Sources
- Hiro's Cave — Lady Elliot Island dive sites — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (Internet Archive)
- Dive Sites & Map, Lady Elliot Island — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (Internet Archive)
- Lady Elliot Island — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Lady Elliot Island
Pinnacle
A manta cleaning station beside a coral-covered Admiralty anchor
Cave & cavern
An L-shaped cave in from 14 m and out of the wall at 22 m
Coral garden
Shallow coral regrown since the 1992 cyclone, and a strong night dive
Pinnacle
The island's main manta cleaning station, in 14 m of water
Pinnacle
Loose bommie field in 14–19 m that rays and sharks cross
Reef
Branching coral gardens in 5–12 m with three turtle species
Wreck
The island's only wreck, coral-grown at 21 m since 1999
Pinnacle
Resident leaf scorpionfish on bommies at 18 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Two swim-throughs, then a fast drift off a wall thick with fish
The Cathedral cave sits in the same block of reef as the throat
Three underwater holes lead out of the cavern into open ocean
A protected colony of endangered grey nurse sharks