Lady Elliot Island · Australia · Reef · Coral garden
Second Reef
Branching coral gardens in 5–12 m with three turtle species
Area photo: Christo.j.brown · CC BY-SA 4.0
A shallow dive at Lady Elliot Island, run in 5 to 12 m over gardens of branching coral and anemones. Green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles all turn up, along with coral trout, schools of yellowfin goatfish, blue-spotted lagoon rays and clouds of chromis and fusiliers feeding in mid-water.
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
This one is for staying shallow. You drop into 5 to 12 m over gardens of branching coral and anemones, and the whole profile sits inside a range that leaves plenty of no-decompression time, so the pace is slow and the dive tends to run long on air rather than on depth.
Turtles are the reliable sighting — green, loggerhead and hawksbill are all found here, resting on the coral or lifting off the bottom as you pass. Coral trout hold over the harder growth, schools of yellowfin goatfish work along the sand, and little blue-spotted lagoon rays sit in the gaps between coral heads.
In mid-water the reef fish do the rest: clouds of blue-green chromis and fusiliers feeding above the coral, with giant trevally cutting through them looking for a meal. Because it is shallow, the light is good and the ascent is simple — you finish more or less where you have been diving all along.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
- Groupers
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Is Second Reef suitable for beginners?+
Yes. The site runs from 5 to 12 m over coral gardens, with no deep section and no demanding entry, which makes it a shallow, easy option at Lady Elliot Island for newly certified divers and for anyone wanting a long dive.
What turtles are seen at Second Reef?+
Green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles are all reported on this site, among the branching coral and anemone gardens that make up the reef between 5 and 12 m.
Sources
- Dive Sites & Map — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (Internet Archive)
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
Cave & cavern
A twin-entrance overhang at 24 m below a 16 m cleaning station
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
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
Moorings from an 8 m coral garden to a 30 m wall
The southernmost reef where plate coral grows this thickly
Cupcake-shaped bommies above a reef slope that runs off to 50 m.
Sea fans and sponge-covered coral heads in 8 m of water