Saxon Reef
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Saxon Reef is an outer Great Barrier Reef site located approximately 90 minutes by boat from Cairns, Queensland, reached via the Cairns Marina. It sits alongside Norman Reef and Hastings Reef as one of the outer reef destinations visited in this area, offering coral gardens and reef walls to a maximum depth of 10.4 metres.
The terrain is reef-based, with coral gardens and reef walls making up the main dive environment. The shallow maximum depth of 10.4 metres and light currents make this a suitable site for beginners, and visibility is generally great.
Marine life at Saxon Reef includes giant green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, blue-spotted stingrays, humphead Maori wrasse, black-tipped and white-tipped reef sharks, anemonefish, trout, and tropical fish across the coral. Jellyfish are a noted hazard. Humpback whales pass through the broader region between June and September.
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Access is by boat only, departing from Cairns Marina. Dives are conducted at moored sites, with options for buddy diving or guided dives. The site is well suited to beginners and introductory divers, with intro dive participants required to be at least 12 years old, though certified divers also visit the reef.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Sixband ParrotfishScarus frenatusReported here · unconfirmed
Steephead ParrotfishChlorurus microrhinosReported here · unconfirmed
Striped SurgeonfishAcanthurus lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
Humpnose Bigeye BreamMonotaxis grandoculisReported here · unconfirmed
Reticulated DamselfishDascyllus reticulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Two-spot Red SnapperLutjanus boharReported here · unconfirmed
Bird WrasseGomphosus variusReported here · unconfirmed
Brown TangZebrasoma scopasReported here · unconfirmed
Coral RabbitfishSiganus corallinusReported here · unconfirmed
Eastern Triangle ButterflyfishChaetodon baronessaReported here · unconfirmed
Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
Leaf scorpionfishLeaf scorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
ClownfishClownfishConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
Whale SharkRhincodon typusReported here · unconfirmed
WhaleWhaleReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
Ghost pipefishGhost pipefishReported here · unconfirmed
PipefishPipefishReported here · unconfirmed
LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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