Amazing, also called Amazing Caves, is a shallow wall at Holmes Reef honeycombed with archways, swim-throughs and caves. Dive the World describes a shallow wall teeming with sharks, soft corals and swim-throughs at 10–20 m, and marinelife.org.au describes a cave system with two entrances at 9 and 16 m, tight squeezes, and gutters and swim-throughs descending to 40 m.

The structure is what makes it special. Archways and swim-throughs open along the wall, their walls and ceilings densely covered in soft corals, sponges and encrusting life. The main cave system links the two entrances, and marinelife.org.au notes that reef sharks rest inside the caves, a memorable sight for divers entering with a torch. Cryptic fish and invertebrates occupy the darker sections.

Outside the caves, sharks are the other highlight. Dive the World lists grey reef sharks, silvertips and dozens of whitetips, along with lobsters, stubbytail eels, turtles, potato cod and garden eels on the sand. Soft corals grow thickly on the wall and in the swim-throughs, and schools of reef fish move along the face.

Amazing suits intermediate divers comfortable in swim-throughs and enclosed spaces. The caves are not deep, but some sections are tight, so good buoyancy and trim are essential, and divers should follow the guide rather than explore independently. Those who prefer to stay in open water can enjoy the archways and wall. It is one of the headline sites on Mike Ball's Townsville-to-Cairns Yongala & Coral Sea expedition, and a strong contrast to the soft-coral pinnacle at Nonki Bommie nearby.

Liveaboard only. Mike Ball's Spoilsport includes Holmes Reef on its 7-night Coral Sea exploratory (Cairns return), the 7-night Yongala & Coral Sea expedition (Townsville to Cairns) and the 10-night Coral Sea Odyssey; the overnight crossing from Cairns is about 240 km of open ocean. Holmes is normally allocated a day on these itineraries.

Amazing is on Mike Ball's Yongala & Coral Sea itinerary and is dived from a mooring.

Holmes Reef is a pair of isolated Coral Sea atolls about 240–250 km east of Cairns with no land for shelter. Dive the World calls it a fair-weather destination: SE trades over about 20 knots (common June–August) make the crossing and surface conditions rough, although the lagoons and western sides offer some protection. Currents are normally gentle but can be strong in the channels and on the ridges, especially on a falling tide.

September–December usually has the calmest seas and 20–40 m visibility; December–April is cyclone season.

Descend to about 16 m at the lower cave entrance, follow the guide through the cave system and out through the 9 m entrance, then explore the archways and swim-throughs along the wall before finishing on the reef top.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions (Spoilsport) – 7-night Coral Sea exploratory (Cairns), 7-night Yongala & Coral Sea (Townsville–Cairns) and 10-night Coral Sea Odyssey; a few departures a year include Holmes.