The Ngaro Underwater Marine Sculpture Trail was created as part of the Whitsundays Reef Recovery and Public Art Project after Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie devastated the region's fringing reefs in March 2017. Funded to encourage new visitation and to prompt interest in reef conservation, it places commissioned artworks – several made with Traditional Owner input – at popular snorkel and dive sites, where they also act as substrate for new coral and marine life. Reef Ecologic managed the project.

The works are spread across four sites. At Manta Ray Bay on Hook Island are Adriaan Vanderlugt's 3.8 m aluminium Manta Ray, at about 5–6 m and the easiest for snorkellers, and Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson's Migration of the Mantas, two concrete and stainless-steel pieces at 4–10 m depending on tide. At Blue Pearl Bay, Hayman Island, sits Vanderlugt's aluminium Maori Wrasse (2.7 by 3.85 m) at 7–10 m.

Off Langford Spit is Col Henry's 6.5 m stainless-steel Turtle Dream, celebrating the hawksbill turtle, at 7–10 m. Anthozoa, a 3.8 m concrete coral-polyp form by a collective of artists, is listed for Blue Pearl Bay on the trail page and for Langford by another guide. On the mainland, Robinson's semi-submerged Bywa ('waterspout' in Kala Lagaw Ya) stands at Horseshoe Bay, Bowen.

Each sculpture sits on a reef in its own right, so a visit combines art with a snorkel or dive over recovering coral – at Manta Ray Bay, for example, with George the Maori wrasse and winter mantas. Most pieces are shallow enough for confident snorkellers at mid to high tide, and all are easily reached by divers. Operators choose sites daily according to conditions, so not every sculpture can be seen on every trip.

The trail is best treated as a thread through the northern Whitsundays rather than a single dive.

Boat only. Northern Hook Island is about 22–28 nautical miles from Airlie Beach – roughly 45–75 minutes by fast day boat from Coral Sea Marina or Port of Airlie, or about 1 hour from Hamilton Island marina. Day tours that stop here include Ocean Rafting, Red Cat Adventures (Thundercat), Whitsunday Dive Adventures and Explore Group (from Airlie and Hamilton Island); overnight sailing and bareboat charters also visit.

Private and bareboat skippers must use the public moorings (time-limited, first come first served) and observe no-anchoring areas marked by reef protection markers; bareboat operators restrict where hirers may go. Parking at Airlie is available near Coral Sea Marina and the Port of Airlie. The trail spans several sites: Manta Ray Bay (22–28 nm from Airlie), Blue Pearl Bay (20–24 nm), Langford Spit (18–20 nm) and Horseshoe Bay, Bowen (drive about 1 hour north of Airlie; 35–40 nm by sea).

Sailing charters and luxury boat tours commonly combine sculpture stops with Whitehaven Beach.

The northern Hook Island bays face north and are sheltered from the dominant south-east trades (15–25 knots April–September), but they are open to northerly winds and swell (common October–March) and to very strong south-easterlies that wrap around the headlands. Tidal currents through the islands are strong on spring tides (tidal range up to about 4 m) and can make points and bay entrances difficult – plan dives at slack water and neap tides where possible. Visibility is usually 5–15 m, dropping after strong winds, big tides and wet-season rain.

Manta rays visit May–September. Marine stinger season (box jellyfish and Irukandji) runs roughly November to May – wear a full-length stinger suit or wetsuit with hood and gloves, carry vinegar. Cyclone season November–April; tropical lows and cyclones can close sites and damage coral (TC Yasi 2011, TC Debbie 2017).

Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie (March 2017) badly damaged the fringing reefs of northern Hook and Hayman islands; recovery is ongoing.

At each site, descend or snorkel from the mooring to the sculpture: Manta Ray (5–6 m) and Migration of the Mantas (4–10 m) at Manta Ray Bay; Maori Wrasse (7–10 m) at Blue Pearl Bay; Turtle Dream (7–10 m) at Langford. Combine with a reef circuit at each site.

Ocean Rafting (Northern Exposure/Southern Lights – daily snorkel stops on northern Hook), Red Cat Adventures Thundercat (daily, Mantaray Bay/Stonehaven), Whitsunday Dive Adventures (certified and Discover Scuba day trips, several times a week), Explore Group (dive and snorkel from Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island, daily), plus overnight sailing vessels and bareboats. Sailing and luxury boat tours offer dedicated sculpture itineraries.