Best Spots to Dive and Snorkel in Townsville – Places where you can have the best Diving and Snorkelling Experience

If you are a beginner, you can have the necessary training required for diving at one of the Townsville Australia hotels – or else, you could head over to Lodestone Reef which is the perfect site for a novice. Lodestone Reef is an outer reef that's closest to Townsville and Magnetic Island. As you take the plunge into the sea, you are in for a perfect picture of colourful coral and masses of fish. This is also where you will find most of the great eight which include clownfish, turtles, reef sharks and Maori wrasse. In addition, you will dive among angelfish, parrotfish and stingrays.

Located on the western side of the great barrier reef, Wheeler Reef can be accessed from Magnetic Island and Townsville – If you are staying at Oaks Gateway on Palmer, you can easily access the site. The coral gardens that are located 20 miles away give you the opportunity to dive or snorkel from the boat. Large schools of fish and coral at the sea bottom will make your diving experience magical!

This is a wreck dive site that's thought to be one of the best wreck sites. SS Yongala is an artificial dive site which attracts flocks of turtles, clownfish and manta rays. As you dive, you will bump into large schools of colourful fish looking for a good feed – as if that were not enough to make experience mesmerising, there are also groups of reef sharks and Maori wrasse.

If you make your way over to Pelorus Island, you can expect the perfect duo of night camping and diving. You can dive and snorkel during the day and to add to the fun, you can set up a camp with your friends and make some beautiful memories to take home.

With depths from 3m to 12m, Magnetic Island has plenty of sandy bays that are made enchanting by batches of coral reef. If you'd fancy a wreck dive, there are also two wrecks you can choose from – which by the way are inhabited by beautiful fish such as batfish and sergeant majors.

One of the sites around Magnetic Island, Florence Bay boasts plenty of bommies, coral, caves, rock lobsters and sharks. Swim through the great coral cover and enjoy the abundant marine life that's on offer.

This is where you'll find the famous Coral Gardens and The Canyons you've heard so much of! – also, Alma Bay is one of the dive sites scattered around Magnetic Island.

One of the dive sites at Magnetic Island, Arthur Bay is a pleasant treat of large bommies and the Platypus wreck with colossal steam boilers.