Heron Island Diving
Dive at one of the Natural Wonders of the World
While we will do our best to accommodate each guests preferred diving tour we do recommend pre-booking your activity to avoid disappointment. Please be assured that we follow strict hygiene regulations to ensure our equipment is disinfected, clean and safe at all times.
Diving
Heron Island is known the world over for its excellent Great Barrier Reef dive sites, coral gardens and pinnacles. So good is the scuba diving, that Jacques Cousteau—the world’s most famous undersea explorer of our time—listed Heron Bommie as one of his top 10 favourite dive sites. And there are plenty of sites to explore, more than half of which are just minutes away from the jetty.
The waters around Heron Island are relatively shallow (avg depth 10-25 metres) and are teeming with reef fish, turtles, manta rays, reef sharks, and an endless variety of marine invertebrates. Around 60% of the 1,500 species of fish, and around 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef call the waters around Heron Island home.
Heron Island caters to all levels of marine enthusiasts from the novice snorkeller to experienced divers, and offers PADI™ certified courses as well.
Why Dive Heron Island?
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Top 10 Dive Sites
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Dive 365 Days a Year
Find out more opens in a new tabDive Rates
All dives to the reefs surrounding Heron Island include the boat trip, air, scuba tanks, and weights. Additional equipment, unless otherwise shown as included, can be hired from the Marine Centre, and are listed below under Dive Equipment Hire. Each Dive Trip is a single tank dive allowing a dive time of 45 minutes. To avoid disappointment we recommend booking your dives prior to arrival at Heron Island.
Guests who have not dived in 1-3 years will be required to complete a Dive Check. Those who have not dived in more than 3 years will be required to complete a Full Refresher Dive.
Dive Equipment Hire
The Heron Island Marine Centre offers a wide range of quality dive and snorkel gear for hire and sale. The current selection features the latest Aqualung equipment. Wetsuit selection includes 4 mm shorties for the warm summer months, to 7 mm full-length suits for the colder months. N.B. All prices are per person, per day.
- Mask, Snorkel and Flippers: included in room rate
- Full Gear Hire: $50.00 AUD $55.00 AUD from April 1, 2025
- Prescription Mask: $150 AUD refundable deposit
- Diving Fins (excluding boots): included in room rate
- Wetsuit - short: $15.00 from April 1, 2025 $ 20.00 AUD
- Wetsuit - long: $25.00 AUD
- Wetsuit - child: $15.00 AUD from Apil 1, 2025
- Regulator with Computer: $25.00 AUD
- Buoyancy Compensator (BCD): $30.00 AUD
Dive Courses
A perfect place to learn or hone your dive skills, Heron Island is a 5-Star dive destination that offers an extensive range of certified PADI Dive Courses.
*PADI eLearning Fees payable directly to PADI
Diving Safety Requirements
Naturally, safety is of high priority on Heron Island and all dive staff are trained in diving first aid.
- A certification card must be presented upon check-in. A logbook does not constitute proof of certification. We recommend bringing physical cards, or taking screenshots of e-cards. If you have lost your card, we may be able to look you up online, depending on training organization.
- Use of a BCD (with safety surface marker buoy and whistle), regulator (primary and alternate air source, pressure gauge and BCD inflator hose), dive computer, fins, mask and snorkel is mandatory.
- Australian Scuba Diving Standards require that all certified divers are medically fit to dive. Certain medical conditions that may be accepted in other countries (i.e. USA and Canada), may exclude you from diving at Heron Island such as asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, high blood pressure or blood disorders of any kind. If you are taking any medication (with the exception of the contraceptive pill) you may also be excluded from diving at Heron Island. If you suffer from a medical condition or are taking medication, please consult with the Marine Centre (dive@heronisland.com).
- If a dive medical is required, it must be completed by a medical practitioner with knowledge of diving medicine to AS 4005.1 standards. A copy of the Medical Form and a list of accredited medical practitioners are available at http://www.spums.org.au/. The dive team reserves the right to exclude divers from diving in line with PADI and Queensland regulations. If you have any medical concerns, please consult a dive accredited doctor.
- Safety regulations on Heron Island require that guests traveling from the Island by helicopter and/or by fixed wing aircraft must not dive for a minimum of 24 hours prior to flying.
Diving Age Restrictions
Children may dive if they are fully certified. However, children aged 10 and 11 have a depth restriction of 12 meters. Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Those aged 65 years of age and over are required to obtain a dive medical prior to diving with us All divers must meet medical requirements.
While the Heron Island Dive Team strives to take guests to as many dive sites as possible, all diving activities are subject to environmental conditions—to ensure maximum safety and enjoyment for everyone.
Please contact our Marine Centre with your booking enquiry at dive@heronisland.com
FORMS: Certified Diver Registration │ Snorkelling Registration │ Medical Registration for Discovery Scuba Dive │ Kayak Indemnity
Rates in effect to March 31, 2025. Heron Island reserves the right to discontinue or alter services and rates without notice.
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