The Gutters is the shallowest of the named Palm Beach Reef sites listed by Gold Coast Dive Adventures, in 5-12 m. The name describes the terrain: sand-floored gutters running between rocky ridges and outcrops. Shallow gutters like these funnel fish and are where wobbegongs and, in summer, leopard sharks rest on the sand.

The shallow depth gives plenty of light and long bottom times. Palm Beach Reef as a whole is the largest reef system in the Gold Coast area, roughly 950 m long and 500 m wide, and Divernet notes it is usually blessed with the best visibility of all the local sites. Across the complex, divers see schools of Australian stripeys, wobbegong and bamboo sharks, large octopus, anemones with anemonefish, parrotfish, blue wrasse and stingrays, with leopard sharks in summer and occasional grey nurse sharks and bronze whalers in the deeper gutters.

Because published detail on individual Palm Beach sites is limited, divers should rely on the operator's briefing for the exact layout. Visibility is typically 10-20 m and often the best on the Gold Coast, but surge affects the shallower sections in swell, so the site is best on calm days. It works well as one half of a Palm Beach double dive, paired with a deeper or shallower neighbouring site, and suits divers who have done the Seaway and the Scottish Prince and want a genuine reef dive off the southern Gold Coast.

Stay low and still at the edge of a gutter and sharks and rays often settle close by.

Boat access only. Gold Coast Dive Adventures runs Palm Beach Reef trips from Runaway Bay Marina, out through the Gold Coast Seaway and south along the coast – about 25-30 minutes. Private boats usually launch at the Tallebudgera Creek or Currumbin Creek ramps (creek bars can be dangerous in swell) and run 800-1,000 m offshore from Palm Beach.

The reef is large (about 950 x 500 m) with around ten named sites; use operator marks or GPS for the sub-site.

Palm Beach Reef sits 800-1,000 m off an open surf beach and is limited by swell: easterly or south-easterly swell over about 1.5 m, and south-east winds over 15-20 knots, make it rough and surgy, especially on the shallower sections. Summer north-easterly sea breezes build in the afternoon. It usually has the best visibility of the Gold Coast sites (often 10-20 m+), best after southerly or westerly winds and in winter, and poorest after heavy rain when the creeks and Tweed run dirty.

Currents are usually mild.

Descend the line to the reef at about 5-9 m, make a loose circuit of the bommies and gutters keeping the reef on one shoulder, check the sand edges for wobbegongs and leopard sharks, and return to the line for a safety stop.

Gold Coast Dive Adventures (Runaway Bay) – regular Palm Beach Reef double dives; other Gold Coast dive shops occasionally.