Pilot Reef - Coral Sea
Pilot Reef, out in Australia's Coral Sea, offers some serious wall diving. The reef drops away dramatically, disappearing into the depths. We’ve found some solid pelagic action here, with reef sharks often cruising the edges. It’s a spot best suited for divers comfortable with deeper profiles and drift diving, as currents can pick up.
- Location
- Coral Sea, Australia, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -22.166666, 149.616670
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 5-20m
Marine Protected Area: Broad Sound
Best Time to Dive in Coral Sea
The warmest water temperatures in Coral Sea occur in March, averaging 28.3°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 21.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.9°C
- February: 28.3°C
- March: 28.3°C
- April: 27.2°C
- May: 25.0°C
- June: 23.0°C
- July: 21.6°C
- August: 21.2°C
- September: 22.3°C
- October: 24.3°C
- November: 26.3°C
- December: 27.7°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Coral Sea
- Anemone Bommies - Lady Elliot Island
- Bait Reef (reef)
- Barolin Point Dive Site
- Black Island “WONDERWALL“ (wall)
- Blue Pearl Bay 2 (reef)
- Butterfly Bay (reef)
- Butterfly Bay “KEYHOLE“ (reef)
- CHIN LONG WEE - 0m (wreck)
- Conical Rocks Reef (reef)
- Coral Gardens - Lady Elliot Island (reef)
- Corroboree Reef (reef)
- Cruise Whitsundays Pontoon
- Dangerous Reef (reef)
- Dangerous Reef (reef)
- Dolphin Point
Nearest Dive Centres to Pilot Reef
Marine Life in Coral Sea
Home to 120 recorded species including 73 reef fish, 30 hard corals, 8 seagrass & algae, 3 other, 2 sharks & rays, 1 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Dugong (Dugong dugon) - Whales & Dolphins
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- gray mangrove (Avicennia marina) - Seagrass & Algae
- Paddle Grass (Halophila decipiens) - Seagrass & Algae
- Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
- Common Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus) - Reef Fish
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Ward's Damsel (Pomacentrus wardi) - Reef Fish
- Rainford's Butterflyfish (Chaetodon rainfordi) - Reef Fish
- Blackedge thicklip wrasse (Hemigymnus melapterus) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Harlequin tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Banded maori wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Hn (Halophila spinulosa) - Seagrass & Algae
- Dusky Parrotfish (Scarus niger) - Reef Fish
- Golden Butterflyfish (Chaetodon aureofasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Longnose Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Parrotfish (Scarus flavipectoralis) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Pilot Reef
Based on average water temperature of 25.2°C, currents 5 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 25°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories