Paradise Reef is one of several named sections of the reef system that runs north-east from Governor Island, and the Combined Clubs Weekend guide groups it with the Hairy Wall and Rose Garden as parts of the larger Canyon complex. It is a reef with two faces rather than a single wall, and the older Mudgee Dive and Travel guide describes both sides as carrying sea whips and finger sponges, with the deeper sections reaching 30-33 m.

The reef top is covered in kelp at around 15 m. Below it the granite is plastered with sponges in red, orange, yellow and purple, ascidians and hydroids, with sea whips increasing in density with depth. Jewel anemones cluster on the whips and on shaded overhangs, and yellow zoanthids form patches on the vertical surfaces. Fish life is typical of the reserve and generous: butterfly perch, banded morwong, bastard trumpeter, long-snouted boarfish, wrasse and leatherjackets, with large crayfish in the cracks.

Paradise suits divers who want the colour of the deeper Bicheno sites without committing to the full depth of Golden Bommies or the Hairy Wall. A well-planned dive at 22-26 m gives time to look closely for nudibranchs and sea spiders, which are common on the sponges. The reef can be combined with The Canyon or Rose Garden on a single dive in good visibility, but each deserves its own dive if time allows.

Documentation for Paradise Reef is thinner than for the headline sites, and the exact boundary between Paradise, The Canyon and the Hairy Wall varies between sources and skippers. Treat the depths as a guide and follow the plan given by the boat.

Bicheno is on the Tasman Highway (A3), about 2 hr 15 min (180 km) from Hobart and 2 hr (160 km) from Launceston. Boats launch from the small ramp at The Gulch (Waubs Gulch), the narrow channel between Governor Island and the town foreshore off Esplanade; there is trailer parking beside the ramp and fishing co-op. The Governor Island sites are only 2-5 minutes' run out of the Gulch.

Tasmanian boat diving is almost always done as a live-boat drop and pick-up rather than at anchor. Paradise Reef sits on the same reef system as The Canyon off the north-eastern side of Governor Island, 3-4 minutes from the ramp. Divers are dropped at the reef top and collected under an SMB.

The Governor Island sites face east into the Tasman Sea, so easterly and north-easterly swell over about 1.5 m, or a fresh easterly/north-easterly sea breeze, makes them rough and surgy and can close the Gulch entrance. Westerly and north-westerly winds blow offshore and give the flattest seas; southerly swell wraps in and stirs the bottom, and a big southerly can drop visibility under 2 m for days. Winter (June-September) usually brings the clearest water (20-30 m) and most settled westerly weather; summer afternoons are often spoiled by the NE sea breeze, so dive mornings.

Descend to the reef top at 15-18 m and drop down one face of the reef to 25-30 m. Work along the reef looking at both sides, then cross the top and return along the other face, rising as your no-decompression time shortens. Finish in the kelp and do a safety stop under an SMB.

No confirmed full-time commercial dive operator in Bicheno as of 2026: the long-running Bicheno Dive Centre was reported closed (Michael McFadyen) although some tourism pages still list it - verify before travelling. Sites are dived by club boats (Tas Uni Dive Club, Tasmanian Scuba Diving Club, Leven Scuba Club), the annual Combined Clubs Weekend each June, and occasional trips from Launceston (Tasmanian Divers) and Hobart (Go Dive Tasmania) shops.