Marinelife.org.au describes a flat sandy area at about 10 m with small bommies, beside a wall with numerous caves reaching 26 m. Dive the World describes a series of shallow bommies on the reef edge with a sandy floor, where excellent visibility is common, and says it is popular for night diving.

The layout is easy. The sand at 10 m makes a natural gathering area beneath the boat, and the bommies scattered across it are small enough to circle in a few minutes each. The wall and caves offer a deeper option for those who want it. Because it is shallow and sheltered, the site is ideal for photographers, who can take their time with the macro life on the bommies.

Dive the World lists garden eels on the sand, whitetip reef sharks, potato cod and turtles, with cleaner shrimps, Saron shrimps and bumblebee squat lobsters on the bommies. The name suggests turtles are regular visitors, possibly resting in the caves.

Turtle suits divers of every level. It is one of the few sites at Holmes that newer divers can enjoy without the depth and current of the walls, and it is the natural choice for a night dive on a Holmes itinerary.

Liveaboard only. Mike Ball's Spoilsport includes Holmes Reef on its 7-night Coral Sea exploratory (Cairns return), the 7-night Yongala & Coral Sea expedition (Townsville to Cairns) and the 10-night Coral Sea Odyssey; the overnight crossing from Cairns is about 240 km of open ocean. Holmes is normally allocated a day on these itineraries.

Turtle is used as an overnight mooring at Holmes, so it is dived in the afternoon and again at night straight from the liveaboard.

Holmes Reef is a pair of isolated Coral Sea atolls about 240–250 km east of Cairns with no land for shelter. Dive the World calls it a fair-weather destination: SE trades over about 20 knots (common June–August) make the crossing and surface conditions rough, although the lagoons and western sides offer some protection. Currents are normally gentle but can be strong in the channels and on the ridges, especially on a falling tide.

September–December usually has the calmest seas and 20–40 m visibility; December–April is cyclone season.

Descend to the sand at about 10 m, visit the bommies looking for cleaner shrimps and squat lobsters, then follow the wall with caves toward 20–26 m before returning over the sand to the mooring. At night, stay near the bommies and look for flashlight fish.

Coral Sea liveaboards visiting Holmes Reef (Mike Ball Dive Expeditions) – overnight mooring, afternoon and night dives.