Opal Reef

Opal Reef is one of the 3,000 reefs that form the Great Barrier Reef, which is located off the North Queensland coast, in Australia. Opal Reef is approximately 50 kilometres east of Port Douglas and covers an area of around 9 square kilometres. There are two Port Douglas reef snorkel tours that visit Opal Reef – Wavelength and Calypso Reef Cruises – the travel time to and from Port Douglas to Opal Reef is around 90 minutes each way.

Snorkeling Suitability 96

Diving Suitability 80

Coral Health 94

Marine Life 93

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Calypso Reef Cruises

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Wavelength Reef Cruises

Things To Do at Opal Reef

Opal Reef has over 15 snorkel sites, each offering unique encounters with the reef’s marine life and corals. Visibility at these sites ranges from 12 to 18 meters, depending weather and conditions on the day of travel. Notable sites include Bashful Bommie, Ayer’s Rock, SNO, Cathedrals, Split Bommie, Blue Buoy and One Fin Bommie.

Tips for Snorkelling Opal Reef – If you are planning a snorkel trip to Opal Reef, it pays to check the dates you here and the tides for the days you want to go to the reef. For best conditions, we look for days where the low tide coincides with the time you are at the reef, in doing this the water will be ‘low’ and you will be able to get quite close to the coral gardens.

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Snorkeling

Opal Reef is arguably one of the best snorkelling locations in North Queensland and we’ve been lucky enough to snorkel here on a few occasions. The reef has almost complete coral coverage, thanks to the work of the Coral Nurture Project, and we highly recommend visiting it, if you are staying in Port Douglas.

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Scuba Diving

Although Opal Reef is an excellent dive destination, most Port Douglas dive boats travel to reefs a little further out, such as Agincourt and St Crispin’s Reef. Sometimes reef tour boats will moor here for diving, but it’s not guaranteed and is very weather dependent.

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Opal Reef Weather

Todays weather forcast at Opal Reef...

25.6
Min (°C)
26.2
Max (°C)
05:38
Sunrise
18:21
Sunset
18.30
Max (kt)
SE
Wind Dir

Average monthly weather data for Opal Reef based on last years observations (2023)...

25.16
Min (°C)
26.36
Max (°C)
05:35
Sunrise
18:26
Sunset
7.40
Avg (kt)
ESE
Wind Dir

Please be aware that this data is intended for reference purposes only. We strongly advise you to verify the weather conditions through the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to ensure accuracy and account for any discrepancies.

Marine Biodiversity

Opal Reef boasts an impressive variety of coral species, including branching corals, plate corals, giant boulder corals, leather corals, and spaghetti corals. Large coral bommies and unique formations such as feather stars and sea whips contribute to the reef’s stunning underwater landscape.

The marine life at Opal Reef is equally diverse, with common sightings of species like clownfish, including the famous ‘Nemo’ clownfish and blackback anemonefish. Other frequent visitors include butterflyfish, parrotfish, trumpetfish, angelfish, and diagonal-banded sweetlips. Predatory species such as coral trout add to the reef’s complex ecosystem.

During guided snorkel tours, guests can also encounter larger creatures, including green sea turtles and the occasional white-tipped reef shark. On rare occasions, snorkelers might spot a moray eel, which is typically elusive in shallow waters. Opal Reef’s healthy coral cover supports an abundance of marine life, including unicornfish, Moorish idols, moon wrasse, six-bar wrasse, chromis, lizardfish, scissor-tail sergeants, red bass, and the impressive titan triggerfish.

One of the reef’s standout features is its vibrant giant clams, which add to the spectacle of marine biodiversity. The clear waters and diverse habitats make Opal Reef an ideal location to experience the beauty and diversity of the Great Barrier Reef.

Whether exploring shallow coral gardens or deeper bommies, visitors to Opal Reef are sure to have an unforgettable underwater adventure, rich with marine life and coral diversity.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Opal Reef?

Opal Reef is located 45km offshore from Cow Bay in the Daintree, 55km NE of Port Douglas and 80km NNE from Cairns. Opal Reef  is considered an Outer Reef site. Nearby reefs include St Crispin Reef and the Agincourt Reefs.

Is Opal Reef worth visiting?

Opal Reef is definitely worth visiting! Especially for snorkelers. This site is an excellent example of just how beautiful the Great Barrier Reef is.

Is Opal Reef the best reef to visit from Port Douglas?

This is a loaded question, we feel it would have to be one of if not the best snorkeling reef from Port Douglas. In saying that, all of the Port Douglas reef tour sites provide great diving and snorkeling conditions.

Will I see turtles at Opal Reef?

Will you see turtles… maybe. Turtles are common across the Great Barrier Reef. We see turtles on most trips to the reef, but as the reef is a wild environment, you can never guarantee seeing any type of specific marine life.

Will I see Nemo at Opal Reef?

Everybody wants to see Nemo, we almost always see some kind of anemonefish when visiting the Great Barrier Reef.

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Featured Blogs

wavelength port douglas
  • 21st Nov 2022

Opal Reef Snorkel Tour

Opal Reef is amazing! Vibrant coral gardens with impressive beds of branching and plate corals, giant boulder corals, soft corals, bommies, feather stars and more. Not to mention Nemo, turtles, giant clams and a lot of fish. Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef.

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calypso dive review 1
  • 16th Oct 2023

Calypso Dive Review

Peering over the edge of the boat, we see glimpses of the coral gardens below. Excitement builds. Weight belts on. BCDs on. Buddy checks complete. We stride in and begin our scuba diving discovery of the Great Barrier Reef with Calypso Reef Cruises, from Port Douglas. This was a great day, exploring amazing reef sites.

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About Us

I Love Cairns is owned by Richard, Julie and Ethan Johnston. Before Ethan was born, Julie and Richard spent many years diving the Great Barrier Reef. After he was born, we spent many years snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. Now Ethan is a certified Junior Open Water Diver – we do both – snorkelling and diving the reef. When we aren’t blowing bubbles, we love walking on tracks and trails, fossicking and finding treasures, jumping into waterfalls, paddleboarding and 4WDing. We live for weekends and holidays, getting out of the house, off the screen and into nature to make some memories. Where do we go? As many different places as possible, above and below the sea. We love Cairns and hope you are inspired to visit our beautiful, tropical city.

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