Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 9 Nov 2026
Dundee Wide Engineered Reef
Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs, Northern Territory · near Dundee Beach
| Depth | 11–16 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat (day trip) |
| Entry | Giant stride or backward roll from the boat; descend the shot or anchor line |
| Current | Variable/Tidal |
| Visibility | 3-12 m |
| Water | summer 30-32 °C, winter 24-26 °C |
| Suit | 3 mm shorty or full lycra/stinger suit; full-length stinger suit essential October-May |
| Best season | May-October dry season on neap tides (smallest tidal range, best visibility, south-east trade winds are strongest mid-morning) |
| Bottom time | 40 min |
| Position | -12.74075, 130.17312 (GPS) |
| Permit | None required; NT recreational fishing rules apply. |
| Nearest chamber | Royal Darwin Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Tiwi, Darwin) |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Dundee Wide Engineered Reef
Also known as AR3 Dundee Wide
A 2019 engineered concrete reef in 16 m off Dundee Beach – the shallowest and most approachable of the new NT reef complexes for divers.
Near Dundee Beach · Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs, Northern Territory
- Depth
- 11–16 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water
- Access
- Boat (day trip)
- Boat ride
- —
- Water
- 30-32 °C
- Visibility
- 3-12 m
Dundee Wide Engineered Reef11–16 m · Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: May, June, July, August, September, October.
May-October dry season on neap tides (smallest tidal range, best visibility, south-east trade winds are strongest mid-morning)
- Best months
- Now (November)
- Stinger suit Nov–May
Dive facts
- Depth
- 11–16 m
- Typical depth
- 15 m
- Certification
- Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth tier
- Open Water (10–18 m)
- Access
- Boat (day trip)
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Current
- Variable/Tidal
- Visibility
- 3-12 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 30-32 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 24-26 °C
- Water
- Tropical
- Bottom time
- 40 min
- Dive traffic
- Rarely dived (private boat/club only)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
3 mm shorty or full lycra/stinger suit; full-length stinger suit essential October-May
Location
2019 engineered reef complexes · Dundee Beach / Fog Bay
-12.74075, 130.17312
Published GPS position.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: nt.gov.auMarine park & permits
None required; NT recreational fishing rules apply.
Nearest recompression chamber
Royal Darwin Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Tiwi, Darwin)
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Dundee Wide Engineered Reef →
A day-by-day plan for Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
Dundee Wide Engineered Reef is a artificial reef boat dive in Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs, NT, 11–16 m, suited to Open Water divers, variable/tidal current.
Rated intermediate because of tidal current that must be timed.
Why dive here
- A 2019 engineered concrete reef in 16 m off Dundee Beach – the shallowest and most approachable of the new NT reef complexes for divers.
- Rarely dived: expect to have the site to yourself, and plan your own logistics.
Conditions to avoid
- Strong southerly or south-east swell and wind
- Outgoing tide or run-off after rain (poor visibility)
- Spring tides (strong current)
- Any time other than slack water
- Cyclone season (roughly December–April)
About Dundee Wide Engineered Reef
Dundee Wide (AR3) is the only one of the 2019 engineered reef complexes in the Dundee/Fog Bay area, sited in about 16 m of water offshore from Dundee Beach. The 2019 installation was part of an $8.3 million NT Government artificial reef project described at the time as the largest single installation of artificial reefs in the Southern Hemisphere, with a design life of well over 100 years. Each module is a purpose-built concrete structure about 5 m tall, 4 m square at the base and weighing about 24 tonnes, designed with openings and internal cells to provide shelter at several levels, and the modules are grouped into a reef complex rather than a single block.
Dundee is Darwin's weekend fishing town, and the reef was installed to give its anglers a reliable structure within range of beach-launched boats. Water clarity in Fog Bay is often better than around Darwin itself because the area is further from the harbour's muddy outflow, and at 16 m the reef gives far more bottom time than the deeper Lee Point Wide and Gutters Central complexes.
Expect a cluster of 5 m concrete towers on sand, with steadily increasing cover of sponges, hydroids, soft corals and oysters. Fish recorded by anglers include golden snapper, fingermark, black jewfish, estuary cod, coral trout, trevally, queenfish and Spanish mackerel, with baitfish clouds above the modules. Turtles are common in Fog Bay.
There is almost no published diving information for the site, but its moderate depth makes it the most approachable of the engineered reefs for divers staying at Dundee with a boat. It combines well with a trip to Roche Reef to the north or Point Blaze to the south-west. Treat it as a site for self-sufficient divers with local boat experience.
Getting there & entry
Engineered concrete reef complex offshore from Dundee Beach in Fog Bay, south-west of Darwin (12°44.445'S 130°10.387'E).
Drive to Dundee Beach via the Stuart Highway, Cox Peninsula Road and Fog Bay Road – roughly two hours from Darwin on sealed road. Boats are launched over the beach at Dundee, where a tractor launching service operates; facilities include accommodation, camping, fuel, food and a bar. From the beach the reef lies to the west, offshore in Fog Bay: plot the published GPS mark, allow for the tide on the run out, and drop a shot beside the modules.
Entry: Giant stride or backward roll from the boat; descend the shot or anchor line
Facilities: Dundee Beach: tractor beach launching, accommodation, camping, fuel, food, basic supplies and a bar. No dive shop or air fills – bring filled cylinders from Darwin.
Weather, swell & tides
Fog Bay faces west into the Timor Sea: it is best in the dry season (May–October) when the south-east trade wind blows offshore and the sea is flat in the mornings. Dive on neap tides at slack water; Dundee's tides are large and beach launching and retrieval must also be timed with the tide. Westerly sea breezes can build in the afternoon.
The wet season brings north-westerly monsoon winds straight onshore, run-off, cyclone risk and box jellyfish.
Best season: May-October dry season on neap tides (smallest tidal range, best visibility, south-east trade winds are strongest mid-morning)
How the dive is usually run
Descend the shot to the module group at 14–16 m, tour each module and look into (not through) the openings for cod and jewfish. The shallow depth allows 40+ minutes on a single tank; head back to the shot as the current builds.
Marine life
- Golden snapper
- fingermark
- black jewfish
- estuary cod
- coral trout
- trevally
- queenfish
- Spanish mackerel
- baitfish
- turtles →
- sponges
- soft corals
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Within the 18 m limit of an entry-level certification.
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Beach launching and retrieval at Dundee must be timed with the large tides. Tidal currents outside slack. Saltwater crocodiles are common along the Dundee and Fog Bay coast – minimise surface time.
Box jellyfish and Irukandji October–May. Fishing line on modules. About two hours by road to Darwin and the chamber.
Technical notes
Modules are open concrete frames; do not enter the interior cells. Nitrox useful at 28 m sites.
Dive centres that go here
No regular dive operator. Built for recreational anglers; divers visit only by private boat or on occasional club trips (Darwin Sub Aqua Club).
Operators recorded for Dundee Wide Engineered Reef
Dive Darwin
ProfiledDarwin · Darwin Harbour · NT
The main verified dive operation in the Northern Territory, offering recreational training through professional level alongside technical diving and a large specialty range.
divedarwin.com.au · +61 401 751 651
Darwin Sub Aqua Club
Named by sitesDarwin · Darwin Harbour · NT
Club, not a shop: official site updated August 2026 with the 2026 AGM notice; meets Thursdays at Darwin Ski Club, Fannie Bay.
dsac.com.au
Western Blue Dive Charters
Named by sitesDarwin · Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs · NT
The only operator found under this name is Western Blue Dive Charters at Mindarie Marina, Perth (westernbluedive.com.au); no Darwin operator by this name could be confirmed, so the Darwin attribution is doubtful.
Other dive centres in Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views



Dundee Wide Engineered Reef: frequently asked questions
How deep is Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Dundee Wide Engineered Reef reaches a maximum depth of 16 m, with the shallowest part at about 11 m; most of the dive is spent around 15 m.
What certification do I need to dive Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated intermediate because of tidal current that must be timed.
Can I shore dive Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
No, it is reached by boat. A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
May-October dry season on neap tides (smallest tidal range, best visibility, south-east trade winds are strongest mid-morning).
What marine life will I see at Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Regularly recorded: Golden snapper, fingermark, black jewfish, estuary cod, coral trout, trevally, queenfish, Spanish mackerel, baitfish, turtles, sponges, soft corals.
What wetsuit do I need at Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
3 mm shorty or full lycra/stinger suit; full-length stinger suit essential October-May.
How cold is the water at Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Typically 30-32 °C in summer and 24-26 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Beach launching and retrieval at Dundee must be timed with the large tides. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Dundee Wide Engineered Reef?
Royal Darwin Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Tiwi, Darwin). In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs
Outside the harbour the water clears a little and a collection of post-war wrecks, artificial reefs and natural patches (the Fenton Patches, Charles Point reef and the scuttled Song Saigon and Anchorage wrecks) give Darwin divers deeper and cleaner alternatives to the harbour war graves.
Getting there: Charters from Darwin on neap tides.
All Darwin Offshore & Artificial Reefs dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
- nt.gov.au/marine/recreational-fishing/when-and-where-to-fish/artificial-reefs
- marinelife.org.au/?page_id=58
- fishingworld.com.au/news/new-top-end-artificial-reef-coordinates-announced
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: No diver reports; drive time from Darwin approximate.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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