Stepping Stones is Passions of Paradise's signature mooring on Hastings Reef, and the name is a good description: numerous coral bommies step out from the boat in a line, so that divers and snorkellers can hop from one to the next. The operator notes that three or four bommies can be visited in a single dive, that shallow reefs are easily reached, and that the site is suitable for all experience levels and excellent in strong winds. That combination of shelter, variety and an easy layout makes it one of the most reliable sites on the Cairns northern reefs.

Each bommie has a slightly different character, with branching and plate corals, soft corals and anemones, so the dive feels varied even though it covers a small area. The fish life is typical of Hastings: schools of fusiliers and damsels, parrotfish, wrasse, butterflyfish and angelfish over the coral, coral trout and cod under ledges, and anemonefish in their hosts. Turtles and small reef sharks are regularly seen on Hastings, and giant clams dot the reef.

Because the bommies are close together, the risk of getting lost is low, and snorkellers can follow the same line from the surface. It works well as a first dive for newly certified divers or as a relaxed second dive after a deeper site such as Split Bommie. The mooring's position also keeps the boat stable, which helps anyone prone to seasickness on windy days, and the short distances between bommies make it an ideal site for a relaxed guided snorkel tour alongside the dive.

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 50 km out through Trinity Inlet and across the lagoon to Hastings Reef takes around 75 minutes on a fast catamaran and noticeably longer on slower dive boats or into a south-easterly chop.

Stepping Stones is Passions of Paradise's signature Hastings mooring; Cairns Dive Adventures also lists it among the reef's nine sites. Enter from the stern steps.

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. Hastings has moorings on all sides, so there is almost always a sheltered option. Passions notes that Stepping Stones is an excellent choice in strong winds, as it is well sheltered.

From the mooring, hop from bommie to bommie along the line stepping away from the boat, visiting three or four in the dive at 8-15 m. Turn at half gas and retrace the line, finishing on the bommie nearest the boat with a safety stop at 5 m.

Passions of Paradise – regular day-trip mooring (preferred in strong winds); other Hastings operators occasionally; Hastings is also worked by Reef Experience, Divers Den, Tusa Reef Tours, Aqua Quest, Down Under Cruise & Dive and the Reef Encounter liveaboard; the mooring used on any day is chosen by the skipper according to wind, tide and other boats