Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 8 Nov 2026
The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)
Coral Sea, External Territories · near Cairns (liveaboard)
| Depth | Depth not published |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Advanced Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat (multi-day/liveaboard) |
| Entry | Giant stride from liveaboard dive deck; descend mooring or line |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 20-40 m |
| Water | summer 28-29 °C, winter 24-26 °C |
| Suit | 3 mm full wetsuit or lycra Nov–Apr (27–29°C); 5 mm full wetsuit Jun–Sep (23–25°C); full-length lycra or stinger suit recommended Nov–May |
| Best season | Year-round when weather allows; Sep–Dec usually calmest and clearest (visibility can exceed 40 m); Jun–Aug stronger SE trades make the open-ocean crossing rough; Dec–Apr cyclone season |
| Position | not published |
| Permit | Coral Sea Marine Park (Parks Australia). Scuba/snorkel tourism in all zones requires Parks Australia authorisation (held by the operator); recreational fishing is prohibited in National Park Zones. Bougainville Reef is zoned partly National Park Zone (IUCN II, no-take) and partly Habitat Protection Zone (Reefs) under the Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan 2018. Wrecks older than 75 years are protected under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018. |
| Nearest chamber | Townsville University Hospital hyperbaric unit (Townsville) – aeromedical evacuation only after the vessel steams back toward the coast; several hours to more than a day away; liveaboards carry oxygen and satellite communications |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)
Also known as Junkyard
A seldom-described Bougainville Reef site (marinelife.org.au's list of additional Bougainville sites).
Near Cairns (liveaboard) · Coral Sea, External Territories
- Depth
- Depth not published
- Minimum level
- Advanced Open Water
- Access
- Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)
- Boat ride
- —
- Water
- 28-29 °C
- Visibility
- 20-40 m
The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)Depth not published · Advanced Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
In season nowBest months: January, February, March, April, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Year-round when weather allows; Sep–Dec usually calmest and clearest (visibility can exceed 40 m); Jun–Aug stronger SE trades make the open-ocean crossing rough; Dec–Apr cyclone season
- Best months
- Now (November)
- Stinger suit Nov–May
Dive facts
- Depth
- Depth not published
- Certification
- Advanced Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Access
- Boat (multi-day/liveaboard)
- Offshore
- 230 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 20-40 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 28-29 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 24-26 °C
- Water
- Tropical
- Dive traffic
- Rarely dived (private boat/club only)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
3 mm full wetsuit or lycra Nov–Apr (27–29°C); 5 mm full wetsuit Jun–Sep (23–25°C); full-length lycra or stinger suit recommended Nov–May
Location
Bougainville Reef · Coral Sea – Bougainville Reef
No published coordinates. The map above shows the general area, estimated from other documented sites near Cairns.
Dive site map (external) →Primary source: marinelife.org.auMarine park & permits
Coral Sea Marine Park (Parks Australia). Scuba/snorkel tourism in all zones requires Parks Australia authorisation (held by the operator); recreational fishing is prohibited in National Park Zones. Bougainville Reef is zoned partly National Park Zone (IUCN II, no-take) and partly Habitat Protection Zone (Reefs) under the Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan 2018. Wrecks older than 75 years are protected under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.
Nearest recompression chamber
Townsville University Hospital hyperbaric unit (Townsville) – aeromedical evacuation only after the vessel steams back toward the coast; several hours to more than a day away; liveaboards carry oxygen and satellite communications
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef) →
A day-by-day plan for Coral Sea with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef) is a wall liveaboard-only site in Coral Sea, Australia's external territories, suited to Advanced Open Water divers.
Rated intermediate by the operators who dive it.
Why dive here
- A seldom-described Bougainville Reef site (marinelife.org.au's list of additional Bougainville sites).
- Rarely dived: expect to have the site to yourself, and plan your own logistics.
- Visibility often reaches 20-40 m.
Conditions to avoid
- Wind over about 20 knots
- Afternoon north-easterlies
- Cyclone season (roughly December–April)
About The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)
The Junkyard is one of the many named dive sites on Bougainville Reef, the small, isolated Coral Sea reef about 230 km north-east of Cairns and 150 km south of Osprey. It is known only from marinelife.org.au's list of additional Bougainville sites, and no description of its layout, depth or highlights was found in the sources consulted. The name may refer to scattered debris, possibly from one of the reef's shipwrecks, or to a jumble of broken coral and rubble, but neither is confirmed.
Bougainville rises from deep water, and almost every site on it combines a shallow reef top with a wall or steep slope that falls hundreds of metres. The reef's other documented sites give a sense of what to expect: The Zoo and Corner Shop are walls with grey reef, whitetip and blacktip sharks, turtles and schools of butterflyfish, unicornfish and snapper; Walmart has a wall crowded with basslets and invertebrates; Crystal Plateau is a hard-coral terrace with giant potato cod; and Dungeons & Dragons is a maze of reef-top caves. Visibility of 20–40 m is typical, and currents are usually mild but can pick up on the corners.
Bougainville usually gets one day on a Mike Ball Coral Sea itinerary, and the crew picks three or four dives from a long list of named sites depending on wind, swell and current. Lesser-known sites such as this one are therefore dived only occasionally, often when conditions rule out the regular moorings or on longer exploratory trips. If the site does contain wreckage, remember that material from wrecks 75 or more years old is protected in Commonwealth waters. This record is provisional and should be expanded when an operator description becomes available. Divers who find it on their dive plan should ask the crew for the depth profile and highlights, treat it as a wall dive in blue water with the usual attention to depth, and log what they see so that the entry can be improved.
Getting there & entry
A named dive site on Bougainville Reef (marinelife.org.au's list of additional Bougainville sites); exact position not published.
Liveaboard only. Mike Ball's Spoilsport visits Bougainville on its 4-night Osprey fly-dive (Cairns departure Thursday evening, return by flight from Lizard Island), 5-night Coral Sea & Cod Hole and 7-night Coral Sea expeditions; the overnight run from Cairns is roughly 230 km of open ocean. Bougainville is not guaranteed on every itinerary and is usually allocated one day.
The Junkyard is one of the lesser-used Bougainville sites and is dived from a mooring or tender drop at the crew's discretion.
Entry: Giant stride from liveaboard dive deck; descend mooring or line
Weather, swell & tides
Bougainville is a small, isolated Coral Sea reef about 230 km north-east of Cairns and 150 km south of Osprey, with no land to shelter behind, so the surface can be choppy in any SE trade wind over about 20 knots, common June to August. Conditions broadly follow Osprey's, though Bougainville is sometimes calmer when Osprey is windy. Currents are generally mild but can pick up on the corners and walls.
September to December usually gives the calmest seas and best visibility (20–40 m); December to April is cyclone season.
Best season: Year-round when weather allows; Sep–Dec usually calmest and clearest (visibility can exceed 40 m); Jun–Aug stronger SE trades make the open-ocean crossing rough; Dec–Apr cyclone season
How the dive is usually run
No published dive plan. Expect a Bougainville wall or slope dive: descend to the depth set in the briefing, follow the reef with the wall on one side, turn at half gas and ascend along the reef for a safety stop on the top.
Marine life
- Expected Bougainville fauna: grey reef →
- whitetip and blacktip reef sharks →
- turtles →
- snapper
- unicornfish
- butterflyfish
- anthias
- Maori wrasse; soft corals and fans
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Unknown site-specific hazards – follow the crew briefing; wall depth; remote – hours to days from medical help.
Dive centres that go here
Coral Sea liveaboards visiting Bougainville (Mike Ball Dive Expeditions) – occasional, crew's choice.
Operators recorded for The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)
Other dive centres in Coral Sea
Spirit of Freedom
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
An expedition liveaboard associated with Ribbon Reefs, Osprey Reef and Coral Sea itineraries.
spiritoffreedom.com.au · (07) 4047 9150
Passions of Paradise
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
A Cairns sailing catamaran day trip combining reef diving and snorkelling.
passions.com.au · (07) 4041 1600
Divers Den
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
A Cairns operation running both day-boat and liveaboard products alongside a training business and retail presence.
diversden.com.au · (07) 4046 7333
Down Under Cruise & Dive
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
A Cairns day-boat operator offering reef diving, snorkelling and introductory diving.
downundercruiseanddive.com.au · (07) 4052 8300
Reef Encounter
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
A Cairns-based liveaboard vessel offering multi-day reef stays with day-boat transfers.
reefencounter.com.au · (07) 4037 2700
Pro Dive Cairns
ListedCairns · Cairns · QLD
A long-established Cairns operation best known for multi-day liveaboard certification trips that combine Open Water training with outer Great Barrier Reef diving.
prodivecairns.com · (07) 4031 5255
General area
No position has been published for The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef). The circle shows where it is likely to be, worked out from other documented sites near Cairns. Ask a local operator for the exact site.
Dashed circle: general area (about 60 km), from other documented sites near Cairns. 6 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef): frequently asked questions
What certification do I need to dive The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Advanced Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated intermediate by the operators who dive it.
Can I shore dive The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
No, it is reached by boat. A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Year-round when weather allows; Sep–Dec usually calmest and clearest (visibility can exceed 40 m); Jun–Aug stronger SE trades make the open-ocean crossing rough; Dec–Apr cyclone season.
What marine life will I see at The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Regularly recorded: Expected Bougainville fauna: grey reef, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, turtles, snapper, unicornfish, butterflyfish, anthias, Maori wrasse; soft corals and fans.
What wetsuit do I need at The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
3 mm full wetsuit or lycra Nov–Apr (27–29°C); 5 mm full wetsuit Jun–Sep (23–25°C); full-length lycra or stinger suit recommended Nov–May.
How cold is the water at The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Typically 28-29 °C in summer and 24-26 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Unknown site-specific hazards – follow the crew briefing; wall depth; remote – hours to days from medical help. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to The Junkyard (Bougainville Reef)?
Townsville University Hospital hyperbaric unit (Townsville) – aeromedical evacuation only after the vessel steams back toward the coast; several hours to more than a day away; liveaboards carry oxygen and satellite communications. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Coral Sea
Beyond the outer Great Barrier Reef the continental shelf drops away and a scatter of isolated oceanic reefs rises from 1,000 m or more of water. Osprey, Bougainville, Holmes, Flinders and Lihou reefs have vertical walls, 40 m-plus visibility, and shark populations that were never fished down. North Horn at Osprey is the best-known shark dive in Australia; the southern reefs are visited by a handful of boats a year.
Getting there: Liveaboard only, 4–7 nights from Cairns or Port Douglas for Osprey and the northern reefs; expedition trips from Cairns or Townsville for Flinders and Lihou. Overnight crossings of open sea are part of the deal.
Sources
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: Name-only listing; depth, topography and coordinates unknown.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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