DIVE THE BIG FIVE

Jesser Point offers snorkelling on the inside edge at low tide, but don’t venture into the busy boat-launching area. Tick off juvenile fish, nurse sharks.

Quarter Mile is a shallow reef just off Jesser Point.

Tick off pregnant ragged-tooth sharks in summer.

Two Mile Reef is nearly two kilometres long and 900 metres wide and the diving is diverse and excellent on some 30 different sites (eight to 18 metres deep), including Anton’s, Caves, Bikini, Overhands, Coral, Pinnacles and Wayne’s. Most qualification dives are done here.

Tick off raggies, trumpet fish and shark teeth on the sand.

Five Mile Reef has less divers and boat activity. The dive sites are between 18 and 20 metres deep, with Ribbon being one of the best.

Tick off crayfish, dragon and honeycomb morays.

Seven Mile Reef runs from 18 to 25 metres so it’s for advanced divers only. The diving here is excellent but best tackled in good weather. Tick off schooling fish, stunning topography.

Nine Mile Reef is known for its large green coral tree, which stands 2,5 metres tall and is always surrounded by goldies. The reef is full of fascinating caves and reaches to the surface at Breaking Waves, which makes for a great multi-level dive on a calm day. Tick off swim-throughs, giant kingfish, wahoo. Sodwana’s reefs reach a depth of around 40 metres but the continental shelf is very narrow here and the ocean floor drops away quickly into deep canyons. It was in one of these canyons that the coelacanths were found.