The climate is tropical. Cairns offers very good diving conditions all year round, with the average air temperature around 30C/86F. The dry season is from May to September and the wet season runs from November to March. The water temperature at the local dive sites varies from 25-30C/77-86F. The current is generally gentle. The water visibility at the local dive sites is not great and ranges from 5-20m/16-66ft, but the best visibility (around 40m/139ft) is in June and from September to November.
What to see
Marine life is abundant here and is great for micro and macro photography. Reef sharks, cuttlefish, cod, hawkfish, fusiliers, clownfish, rays, pelagics, turtles, grouper, garden eels, reef fish, barracudas, trevallies, tuna, snappers, surgeonfish, wrasses, razorfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, hard and soft corals, gorgonians, sea fans, and much more can be found there.