Most people know the Gold Coast for its long beaches and world-class surfing, but it has plenty to offer the world of scuba diving, including Wonder Reef – the world’s first buoyant artificial reef
Located around 2.5km offshore from The Spit – just a 10-minute boat ride from the city – Wonder Reef, the site is both an artificial reef and art installation, comprised of nine huge sculptures tethered to the seabed.
Launched in mid-2022, the reef was created through a partnership between the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast as a purpose-built dive site close to one of Australia’s best-known coastal destinations.
Designed by Queensland artist Daniel Templeton, the giant spiral shapes of the structures were inspired by hot air balloons lifting into the sky, but they move underwater with the surge like a forest of giant kelp, creating a unique underwater attraction for scuba divers that combines art, engineering and marine conservation
Wonder Reef is constructed from uncoated steel to encourage natural marine growth, and is expected to generate around 32,000 cubic metres of new reef habitat over time.
The ocean and its residents wasted little time moving in, with more than 100 marine species documented around the structures in just the four years since its launch.
The reef and its foundations were quickly encrusted by barnacles and covered by algae, but sponges, crinoids and soft corals have taken hold as the environment has matured.
Schools of trevally circle through the columns while wobbegong sharks rest on the seabed below. Inside the structures and their foundations are found schools of Indian scad, often accompanied by a patrolling grouper.
Divers regularly encounter octopus, lionfish and rays from a variety of species, while leopard sharks and turtles make seasonal appearances, and seahorses are occasionally spotted clinging to the reef’s growing marine life.
Some visitors have even been lucky enough to hear the unmistakable song of passing humpback whales.
The reef ranges in depth from around 8 metres (26ft) to 30m (98ft), making it suitable for a wide range of certification levels and diver training courses.
Shallower sections suit divers with less experience, while the deeper areas allow advanced divers to see the full height of the structures from the seabed.
The shape of the structures also creates a number of excellent overhangs and swim-throughs, as do the huge pyramid-shaped foundations on the seabed to which they are tethered.
Part of Wonder Reef’s charm is that it is still developing, and the structures will continue to change, making repeat visits different experiences as marine life continues to grow and more species move in.
As well as its status as a tourist attraction for divers, the installation is an ongoing centre for scientific research, and visitors can contribute underwater photographs and observations to the monitoring project to help develop a long-term database of conservation data.
Visits can be arranged through local dive operators, and the reef’s proximity to the city makes it an easy adventure to combine with a range of other water-based activities around the Gold Coast, including the broader Gold Coast dive trail and picturesque paddling through the Gold Coast’s picturesque creeks.
For more information, head to wonderreef.com.au
