Cowan Cowan is a small settlement on the western side of Moreton Island, best known in diving circles as the landmark for Curtin Artificial Reef, which lies just offshore to the north, and for The Pines coffee-rock wall between Cowan Cowan and Bulwer. The point itself was the site of Fort Cowan Cowan, a Second World War coastal defence battery guarding the North West Channel, and the lighthouse at Cowan Cowan Point marked the channel for shipping entering Moreton Bay. The foreshore offers shallow, sandy and seagrass habitat typical of the western Moreton beaches, with patches of rock and rubble near the point.

There is no published dive guide for the point as a site in its own right, so divers should treat it as an exploratory shore dive rather than a known destination. Expect bay species: whiting and flathead on the sand, schools of baitfish, stingrays and shovelnose rays, and around any structure small reef fish, wobbegongs and invertebrates. Turtles and dugongs feed on seagrass in the area, and dolphins are regularly seen off the western beaches.

The strong tidal flow along this coast is the key issue: the current near the point can be too strong to swim against, so dives should be timed for slack high water and kept close to shore. For most divers, Cowan Cowan is better used as a base – a camping or accommodation stop on a Moreton trip – from which to arrange boat dives on Curtin and The Pines, which offer far more to see. Shore divers wanting an easy snorkel should head to the Tangalooma or Bulwer wrecks.

Take the MICAT vehicle barge from the Port of Brisbane (Lytton) to Moreton Island and drive north along the western beach past Tangalooma to Cowan Cowan (4WD only; QPWS vehicle permit required; drive on the lower half of the tide). Park near the beach, gear up at the vehicle and walk in. Boats from Manly or Scarborough can anchor off the point in about 45-60 minutes.

There is no public ferry to Cowan Cowan.

Tidal currents run strongly along the western shore of Moreton Island, especially off the point; snorkel or dive only at slack high water. Westerly and north-westerly winds put chop straight onto the beach. Visibility is best on a high tide after southerly winds and poor after heavy rain.

Summer brings occasional jellyfish in the bay.

Enter at slack high water, swim out over the sand and seagrass to the edge of the drop-off and follow it along the shore, turning well before the tide changes. Stay close to shore and fly a dive flag.

No commercial operator runs dives here; it is used mainly as a reference point for Curtin Artificial Reef and The Pines, which lie offshore just to the north.