Dickies Reef lies off Dicky Beach in northern Caloundra, about 400 yards north of Moffat Headland. A south-east Queensland divers' forum post describes it as suitable for 'snorkelling, spear fishing, fishing or scuba diving', accessible from the Dickies Beach car park on Neill Road, with the reef's southern edge dropping to about 35 ft (roughly 10-11 m). The same reef produces a 'pipeline style left-hand wave', which tells you when not to dive it.

The forum also describes reef formations at 10-35 ft off Shelly Beach, running from the beach to Moffat Headland just to the south, making this stretch of Caloundra coastline one of the few with rocky reef close to shore. Expect a subtropical rocky reef with algae, sponges and soft corals, reef fish, and the larger fish that attract spearfishers; wobbegongs and rays are common on reefs along this coast.

Conditions are the big limitation. The reef is exposed to the south-east swell, the Sea Slug Forum describes Caloundra diving as shallow, surgy and mostly dirty, and the same swell that makes a good surf wave makes the reef undiveable. On a flat, dry winter day it can offer a decent shore dive close to town.

It suits experienced local shore divers and snorkellers who can read the conditions; newer divers should start at Kings Beach, which has an easier entry and more shelter. Because it is a popular surf break, arrive early on flat mornings when surfers are fewer, and tow a surface float so board riders can see you.

From Caloundra drive north to Dicky Beach (about 5 minutes from Kings Beach). A local divers' forum recommends access from the Dickies Beach car park on Neill Road. The reef lies about 400 yards north of Moffat Headland; enter from the beach and surface swim out, taking care to stay clear of surfers on the left-hand reef break and of rips.

Carry distance from the car park is short.

Caloundra's reefs face east to south-east and take the full force of the south-east trade winds and swell; the Sea Slug Forum describes local diving as 'shallow, surgy and mostly dirty'. Go only on flat days – swell under about 1 m and winds under about 15-20 km/h – ideally with north-westerly to north-easterly winds, which the south-facing Kings Beach shoreline is sheltered from. Visibility falls quickly after rain and on the ebb tide, when Pumicestone Passage drains out past the Caloundra bar; The local forum notes open-coast tides run about 1.5 hours before the Brisbane Bar tide times.

Dickies Reef is also a surf break ('pipeline style left-hand wave'), so any swell produces breaking waves over the reef – dive only when there is no surf.

On a flat day, surface swim from Dicky Beach to the reef, descend and follow the southern edge where it drops to about 10 m, then return along the reef and swim back to the beach, keeping clear of the surf zone.

No operator – independent shore dive/snorkel; local spearfishers.