Mackay Reef
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
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
Mackay Reef sits within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of far north Queensland, in the area offshore from Cape Tribulation and the Daintree coastline, among the reef systems reached by boat from ports along this stretch of tropical north Queensland. It is rated a beginner dive. Divers have reported a varied reef fish population here, including barred rabbitfish, blackeye thicklip, goldstripe and vagabond butterflyfish, lemon and staghorn damsels, spiny chromis, redbreast Maori wrasse, and steephead and yellowbar parrotfish.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Blackeye ThicklipHemigymnus melapterusReported here · unconfirmed
Lemon DamselPomacentrus moluccensisReported here · unconfirmed
Spiny ChromisAcanthochromis polyacanthusReported here · unconfirmed
Staghorn DamselAmblyglyphidodon curacaoReported here · unconfirmed
Steephead ParrotfishChlorurus microrhinosReported here · unconfirmed
Redbreast Maori WrasseCheilinus fasciatusReported here · unconfirmed
Goldstripe ButterflyfishChaetodon aureofasciatusReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowbar ParrotfishScarus schlegeliReported here · unconfirmed
Vagabond ButterflyfishChaetodon vagabundusReported here · unconfirmed
Barred RabbitfishSiganus doliatusReported 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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