Opal Reef

Opal Reef sits on the outer Great Barrier Reef off Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, one of a number of ribbon and platform reefs reached by day boat from the mainland. It offers a series of distinct dive and snorkel sites along its edges rather than a single feature, typical of the outer reef systems in this part of the Coral Sea approach. Diving here is rated beginner-friendly over a reef bottom, with clownfish a common sight, and divers have also reported lionfish, humphead wrasse, parrotfish, and wobbegong sharks along the reef edges. Stingers, including irukandjis and box jellyfish, have been noted as a seasonal hazard by some sources, so it is worth checking conditions before entering the water.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Speckled ButterflyfishChaetodon citrinellusReported here · unconfirmed
• Sixband ParrotfishScarus frenatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Humpback SnapperLutjanus gibbusReported here · unconfirmed
• Blackback ButterflyfishChaetodon melannotusReported here · unconfirmed
• Jewel DamselStegastes lacrymatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Black-axil ChromisChromis atripectoralisReported here · unconfirmed
• Speckled DamselPomacentrus bankanensisReported here · unconfirmed
• Dusky SurgeonfishAcanthurus nigrofuscusReported here · unconfirmed
• Scaly DamselPomacentrus lepidogenysReported here · unconfirmed
• Blackbar DamselfishPlectroglyphidodon dickiiReported here · unconfirmed
• ClownfishClownfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
• WobbegongWobbegongReported here · unconfirmed
• Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseReported here · unconfirmed
• ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed