Mooloolaba, the area around Wonderland

Mooloolaba · Australia · Reef

Wonderland

Shallow reef of nooks and crannies, anchor at 10 m

Area photo: Tanya Dedyukhina · CC BY 3.0

A shallow reef of nooks and crannies at 9 to 16 metres, with the boat's anchor sitting in about 10 metres of water. Scuba World calls it a perfect site for new divers or for those who have not dived for a while. There is a mini cave, though it is too small to fit inside, and the life is macro: nudibranchs, pipefish, clownfish and anemones.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Wonderland: typical dive 9–16 m (30–52 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit9 m16 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

26.6516° S, 153.1518° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The anchor sits in about 10 metres of water, which sets the tone for the dive: down the line into the shallow part of the reef and along it from there. The site runs 9 to 16 metres and is full of nooks and crannies to explore, including a mini cave, though Scuba World is straight about the fact that you cannot fit inside it. This is a dive spent close to the rock.

Scuba World rates the site Open Water and points it at new divers and at anyone who has not been in the water for a while, so it often gets used as the first dive of the day. The life here is small: nudibranchs, pipefish, clownfish and the anemones they live in, all of which reward a slow pass with a torch rather than any attempt to cover ground.

Marine life and season

  • Nudibranchs
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Wonderland
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFair

Season follows Mooloolaba: Grey nurse sharks hold at Nurse Rock July–October, the months operators also rate clearest; summer is murkier and falls inside the November–April cyclone season.

Sources

  1. Mooloolaba Reef Diving — Scuba World
  2. Wonderland — Scubago

More dive sites in Mooloolaba

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Eighty metres of coral-covered boulders on open sand

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Reef shaped like a hull, in 23 to 32 m

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