Mermaid Cove is a sheltered cove on Lizard Island, visited on the resort's shared local reef tours. The resort describes an abundance of marine life, from cuttlefish to swarms of fusiliers, and many bommies with a variety of hard and soft corals. It is a boat-access site, closer to the island than the outer reefs.

The cove's shelter means calm water and good conditions for snorkelling and shallow diving. Bommies – coral outcrops – rise from the sandy floor, each covered in hard and soft corals and hosting its own community of fish. Fusiliers swarm in the water column, cuttlefish hover near the bommies, and reef fish of all kinds shelter in the coral.

Turtles are common around Lizard Island and may be seen here too. The site suits snorkellers and divers of all levels. It is part of the resort's local reef tours, alongside other island sites such as Nigel's Bommie and Turtle Beach, and guides select sites based on conditions and guests' interests.

Mermaid Cove is named on Lizard Island maps on the island's north-western coast; its exact coordinates are not published by the resort, so none are given here. Depths are not published; the site is shallow, with bommies probably extending to around 10–12 m. For guests at Lizard Island Resort, Mermaid Cove is an easy, rewarding reef experience close to home, ideal for a half-day outing or as an introduction before heading to the outer reefs.

Non-guests visiting by yacht can anchor nearby and snorkel it, observing Green zone rules.

Lizard Island lies about 27 km off the Cape York coast and roughly 240 km north of Cairns. Most visitors fly: resort guests take the scheduled light-aircraft transfer from Cairns (about 1 hour) to the island airstrip, and campers can charter flights or arrive by private boat. There is no public ferry.

The dive and snorkel sites are reached by the Lizard Island Resort dive centre's boats (reserved for resort guests) or by liveaboards – Spirit of Freedom uses Lizard as the fly-in/fly-out changeover point for its 3- and 4-night trips, and Mike Ball's Spoilsport visits on Cairns-based expeditions. Campers at Watsons Bay must carry gear about 1.2 km from the airstrip and bring all supplies.

Lizard Island sits in the path of the south-east trade winds, which blow strongly (often 20–30 knots) from about April to September. The island's western and northern bays (Watsons Bay, Mermaid Cove, Anchor Bay) are sheltered, but open-water crossings to the outer ribbon reefs (Cod Hole, Dynamite Passage, No Name) can be rough and are cancelled in strong winds. October–December usually brings lighter winds and the clearest water; the wet season (December–April) brings northerly winds, storms, cyclone risk and marine stingers (November–May).

Tides are significant – shallow bay snorkelling (e.g. Clam Gardens) is best around high tide. Visibility around the island is typically 10–20 m; the outer ribbon reefs often exceed 25 m.

Enter from the boat and explore the bommies around the cove at 3–10 m, circling each one, then snorkel or dive back through the shallows towards the beach for pick-up.

Lizard Island Resort dive centre – daily boat dives and snorkel tours for resort guests only; liveaboards (Spirit of Freedom 3/4-night trips changing over at Lizard; Mike Ball Spoilsport) occasionally.