Playground on Norman Reef is the mooring Divers Den prefers for its Ocean Quest liveaboard to spend the night, because it is sheltered by a ledge, and that makes it one of the most-dived sites on the Cairns northern reefs, by day and especially by night. Divers Den describes a sandy bottom containing several valleys and coral formations. Two named bommies anchor the dive: Lionfish Bommie, which lives up to its name with lionfish hovering around it, along with glass shrimp and cleaner shrimp, and Split Bommie, a little deeper, where pipefish and leafy scorpionfish are regularly found.

The leafy scorpionfish, which sways like a dead leaf and comes in colours from white to purple, is a prized find for photographers and one of the site's specialities. The valleys between the coral formations are easy to follow and give the dive a natural structure, and the sand floor adds sand-dwellers such as gobies, goatfish and rays. Depths are moderate, generally 8-18 m, and conditions are usually calm.

At night Playground is outstanding: cleaner and glass shrimps are easy to find by torchlight, lionfish hunt actively, parrotfish sleep in their mucus cocoons and crustaceans emerge from the coral. Liveaboard divers often dive it several times across a trip, finding something new each time. It suits all levels, including new divers on their first night dive, and is a good macro site.

Cairns Dive Adventures lists the mooring as Playground/Coral Gardens. Visibility is typically 15-25 m, and the sheltered water makes it a comfortable place for divers doing their first night dive or practising with a new camera.

Boat access only. Cairns day boats leave from the Reef Fleet Terminal (1 Spence Street) and the neighbouring Marlin Marina on the city waterfront, with check-in between about 7:00 and 8:00 am; most operators run transfers from city and northern-beaches accommodation, and there is paid parking near the terminal. The run of about 58 km out through Trinity Inlet and across the lagoon to Norman Reef takes around 82 minutes on a fast catamaran and noticeably longer on slower dive boats or into a south-easterly chop.

Playground is Divers Den's preferred overnight mooring for its Ocean Quest liveaboard and is also used by day boats. Liveaboard guests transfer to Ocean Quest by day boat from Cairns. Enter from the stern platform.

The prevailing south-east trade winds (typically 15-25 knots from April to September) are what limit Cairns outer-reef diving: above about 25 knots trips may be cancelled, and exposed eastern moorings are used only in light winds. Summer northerlies are gentler but make north-facing moorings choppy. Box jellyfish and Irukandji are present from about November to May (stinger suits on every dive), and the cyclone season runs November to April, when a system in the Coral Sea can close the reef for days.

Visibility drops after heavy rain and strong winds; spring is usually calmest and clearest. Most Norman moorings lie on its protected western side. Playground is sheltered by a ledge, which is why it is used as an overnight mooring; it can be dived in most trade-wind conditions and is one of the best night dives on the northern reefs.

Descend to the sand at 8-10 m and follow the valleys between coral formations to Lionfish Bommie, then to the deeper Split Bommie (to about 18 m) for pipefish and leafy scorpionfish. Return through a different valley to the mooring and do a safety stop on the ledge.

Divers Den (Reef Quest day boat; Ocean Quest liveaboard, which moors overnight at Norman) – regular; Reef Experience – daily day trips; Aqua Quest, Down Under Cruise & Dive and Reef Encounter (liveaboard) – regular; Passions of Paradise – Alan's Wall, Big Wall, Shark Mountain; Silverswift – Flat-Top and First Bommie