Yanks Jetty on the western side of Orpheus Island has a Second World War story: it served as a degaussing station, where allied ships were demagnetised to protect them from magnetic mines. Today the old jetty, with a pontoon-supported floating section, sits at the northern end of the beach below Hazard Bay beside a QPWS campground, and it is one of the most accessible dives in the Palm group. The North Queensland Underwater Explorers Club describes depths of 4–8 m under and around the jetty, depending on the tide.

Resident fish have grown inquisitive through years of visitors – fusiliers, jacks, diamond fish and sergeant majors crowd around the pylons – and within 50 m of the jetty lie coral bommies, anemones with their fish, and giant clams. The jetty structure itself is encrusted with sponges and corals and offers shade that attracts schooling fish. Because it is so easy to reach – a beach entry for campers and a short hop for boats – Yanks Jetty is popular with day-trippers, campers and guests from Orpheus Island Lodge, which runs snorkelling and introductory dives in the island's shallows.

It is a sheltered site in the typical south-east trades, with little current, and suits snorkellers, children and new divers. Zoning is Marine National Park, with the Conservation Park zone starting at Hazard Bay, so check the boundaries before fishing, and watch for no-anchoring areas. It is best at mid to high tide, when the extra water makes the jetty and bommies easier to explore.

For anyone camping on Orpheus, it is the obvious night dive, with crustaceans and sleeping fish around the pylons.

Boat only. The Palm Island group lies 20–25 km off the coast between Townsville and Ingham. The quickest access is from the Lucinda or Dungeness boat ramps near Ingham (about 1 hour 20 minutes' drive north of Townsville via the Bruce Highway), from which a small boat reaches Orpheus and Pelorus in about 30–45 minutes across Halifax Bay; Taylors Beach ramp is an alternative.

From Townsville the run is roughly 1.5–2 hours. Orpheus Island Lodge guests arrive by helicopter or seaplane and dive from the lodge's boats. Campers on Orpheus (QPWS permit) and Pelorus (self-sufficient, Hinchinbrook Shire Council) usually arrive by private boat or water taxi.

Use public moorings where available and check no-anchoring areas. Yanks Jetty is at the northern end of the beach below Hazard Bay, near the Yanks Jetty QPWS campground on Orpheus's western side. Campers walk straight in from the beach; boats should moor clear of the no-anchoring areas and approach the jetty with care.

The Palms are high continental islands, so some shore always offers a lee, but the Orpheus–Pelorus channel and exposed points are hit by the south-east trades (15–25 knots, April–September) and by strong tidal streams – springs can produce currents that make the points undiveable except at slack water. Visibility is typically 6–10 m and reaches 15 m in the winter channel; it falls after strong winds and during the wet season (January–April) when the Herbert River floods discolour the water. The calmest, clearest conditions come in the October–December build-up.

Marine stinger season (box jellyfish and Irukandji) runs roughly November to May – wear a full-length stinger suit or wetsuit with hood and gloves, carry vinegar. Cyclone season November–April; tropical lows and cyclones can close sites and damage coral (TC Yasi 2011, TC Debbie 2017). The western side of Orpheus is sheltered in south-easterlies; depth under the jetty varies with tide (4–8 m).

Enter from the beach, swim under and around the jetty at 4–8 m, then explore the coral bommies, anemones and giant clams within 50 m of the jetty before returning along the shore.

Popular with day-trippers, campers and Orpheus Island Lodge guests; lodge runs Discover Scuba shore dives and snorkelling locally. Orpheus Island Lodge – private dive charters for guests to local reefs (minutes away) and the outer reef (~75 min), plus Discover Scuba shore dives; otherwise private boats from Lucinda/Taylors Beach, campers and NQUEC club trips. No scheduled public dive trips.