Mooring One is the boat mooring at the entrance to the sandy patch on the western side of Lady Elliot. The Oceanity guide notes squid hiding underneath the boat, and the site combines sand with nearby reef edges. It is a shallow, sheltered location suitable for all levels, including check dives and training.

Bigfin reef squid, rays, garden eels and turtles are likely, and mantas occasionally pass through on their way to the Lighthouse cleaning stations. Published information on this site is limited to the Oceanity guide to Lady Elliot's 28 named sites, so depths and layout given here are estimates based on neighbouring sites; the resort dive team will brief the specifics. All Lady Elliot sites lie within a Marine National Park (Green) Zone and are dived only with the resort's dive shop, on short boat rides of 10 minutes or less.

Lady Elliot's reef is the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef, and its mix of sheltered western sand plains and exposed eastern walls means almost every site is within a few minutes of the next. Manta rays are most abundant from about May to August, humpback whales pass from July to October, and turtles nest on the island's beaches from November to March, so the same site can feel quite different depending on the season.

Lady Elliot Island is the southernmost coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, about 80 km north-east of Bundaberg, and is reached only by the resort's light aircraft from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Brisbane (Redcliffe) or the Gold Coast (baggage limit about 15-16 kg, extra dive-gear weight bookable). From the airstrip, walk to the resort dive shop; boats are launched from the western beach or the lighthouse side and all dive sites are 10 minutes or less by boat. Mooring One is on the island's western side, reached by the resort dive boat in under 10 minutes.

The island has a western (lee) side and an eastern (windward) side. Under the prevailing south-east trades the western sites (Lighthouse Bommies, Coral Gardens, the Severance) are sheltered and dived most days; the eastern wall sites (Blowhole, Tubes, Hiro's Cave) need light winds or a westerly/northerly. Swell over about 2 m from the south-east closes the eastern side, and strong northerlies (spring/summer) make the west choppy.

Tidal range is about 2-3 m; currents are strongest at the southern tip. Summer brings warmer water but more plankton and occasional cyclones (November-April). Western sites are the default in the prevailing south-easterlies; they become choppy in strong northerlies or westerlies.

Descend the mooring, explore the site at the depth given in the guide's briefing, turn at half air and return to the mooring for a 3-5 minute safety stop.

Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort's PADI dive shop is the only operator: guided boat dives twice daily (early morning and afternoon, bookings open the day before), plus courses; boat rides are 10 minutes or less and all sites are moored. Day-trip packages from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and the Gold Coast include diving. The resort does not offer shore dives.