Detailed public site description for Hendersons Rock depth profile, terrain, and grey nurse shark gutter.
Australia · Brisbane and Moreton Island (Mulgumpin)
Advanced Moreton Island granite reef with caves and grey nurse sharks.
Advanced Moreton Island granite reef with caves and grey nurse sharks.
Hendersons Rock is an advanced Moreton Island boat dive built around extensive granite outcrops, kelp-covered ledges, deep gutters, caves, and overhangs on the island's eastern side. The site starts on a shallower pinnacle and then drops away into steeper terrain, so the dive can shift quickly from open rocky reef into darker ledges and more serious structure. Grey nurse sharks are one of the main reasons divers make the long run here, especially when they patrol the deeper gutters and cave areas around Hendersons Rock and nearby Cherubs Cave. Kelp beds, pipefish, nudibranchs, wobbegongs, Queensland groupers, and larger pelagic fish all add to the appeal, but this is still a site for experienced divers who are comfortable with depth, overhead features, and changeable current on the windward side of Moreton Island.
Site Conditions
Safety Notes
The cave has multiple entrances that may be difficult to find due to kelp; use care when navigating an overhead environment. Grey Nurse Sharks are reported in abundance.
Access Restrictions
Hendersons Rock is a boat-only offshore site and is not always dived because weather, swell, and travel logistics on Moreton Island's eastern side can rule it out.
Legal Notes
Hendersons Rock lies within the Moreton Bay Marine Park and is one of the park's grey nurse shark designated areas, so additional protections apply around shark interactions and site use.
Community notes to help plan your visit.
Scuba Diving
Features a cave system under a bommie with four entrances; light from other openings can assist navigation inside.
Freediving
Hendersons Rock is not a typical casual freedive site because access is by boat and the main attraction lies in deeper ledges, gutters, and shark habitat on an exposed coast.
Snorkeling
Hendersons Rock is not generally treated as a snorkel site because it is offshore, boat-only, and best suited to advanced scuba diving.
Species commonly reported at this site, with direct links into their wildlife guides.
Research estimate
Research estimate
Research estimate
Research estimate
Research estimate
Last Updated
Research Sources
Detailed public site description for Hendersons Rock depth profile, terrain, and grey nurse shark gutter.
Queensland Parks guidance referring divers to grey nurse shark designated area restrictions for Henderson Rock.
Site profile supporting boat access, advanced level, visibility band, kelp beds, and marine life list.
Operator trip write-up describing the exposed east-side access, seasonal grey nurse appeal, and cave dimensions nearby.

Advanced Moreton Island cave dive with pelagics and winter shark action.

A scuba boat dive on a purpose-built artificial reef with a drift-style profile.

Broken-up shipwreck dive with scattered wreckage and boat access in Moreton Bay.