Voyages

You are very close to the island, with only a 10 minute boat ride to the reef, as opposed to anything up to 3 hours as you will experience elsewhere.

The water is very clear, with great visibility. Because Heron Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park the coral is in very good condition and the environment is very pristine - the area hasn't been subjected to the coral bleaching other areas of the Great Barrier Reef have. Our dive masters believe that the coral here is superior to anything else they have experienced on the Great Barrier Reef.

We have no permit to dive with whales on the reef, however at certain times of the year they are visible. At Heron you are likely to see turtles and manta rays (usually up to 3.5 to 4m wide). Manta rays are very curious and friendly and make great viewing. They are visible from May until the end of October when the waters are cooler.

There are 2 answers to this question. If you have completed your classroom work for PADI certification, then you just have to do your in water work to complete your certification. You will need to bring your PADI paperwork with you for this to happen.

If you are completely new to diving, you may take part in our introductory dives. To do this, you will need to complete a 45 minute classroom session and some pool work before heading out on a dive vessel. Once you have done this, you can dive as many times as you like whilst on Heron. However if you come back next year and haven't done your PADI course in the interim, you will need to redo the introductory classroom and pool session before being allowed to dive open water again.

With 3 permanent dive vessels that cater for up to 24 divers at a time, we can determine locations based on client wishes if weather permits. Depending on the weather each day we determine where the vessels will travel to. The beauty of Heron Island is you don't have to travel very far to see the best that the Great Barrier Reef has to offer.

If the weather turns ugly we cancel diving at 30 knots or 1.2m swell. As an alternative snorkelling is often available in close to shore where we are quite sheltered.

At Heron Island we maintain a ratio of 12 divers to 1 dive master, in many other dive spots it may be up to 25 divers to 1 dive master.

If they are certified, they can dive from the age of 10 years old. If they want to learn how to dive, Queensland regulations state that they must be 14 years old before they can complete the introductory dive process.

The minimum age for snorkellers is 8 years old.

If you have any medical issues at all, or take any sort of medication you will need to have a medical before you get to the island. Without the medical certificate you are not allowed to dive. Please refer to the Safety and Medical Information on this site

The cooler winter water (about 20-22 degrees Celcius) bring out a more abundant array of marine life than in the summer months, including manta rays and the odd whale. Water has better clarity so divers can see further and the colours appear brighter in colder water.

Divers can do up to 3 day dives, and 1 night dive so the maximum number of dives per day is 4. The first dive of the day departs at 9am and is the deepest dive (at 18m). The second dive departs at 11am and generally goes to 16m. The last day dive departs at 3pm and goes to about 14m.

Night dives depart at 6.45pm and guests are back at the island by about 8.15pm. Night dives are done 3 times per week. Divers must be experienced and have done a minimum of 20 dives in order to be able to participate in night diving.

Divers are welcome to bring their own gear with them, however we can provide all gear as well.

Regulators are replaced every 3 years with a full service every six months (industry standard is about 1 year). Our wetsuits are 5mm thick which is sufficient to keep you warm in the cooler months when the water is 20-22 degrees Celcius. We have both short and long wetsuits available in a range of sizes.