Lockhart River lies in Far North Queensland on the Coral Sea coast, where three shore-entry sites offer shallow reef diving to a maximum of fifteen metres. Chilli Beach provides fringing reef with visibility commonly reaching twenty metres, while Portland Roads is a sheltered anchorage bay suited to beginners with very shallow, calm conditions. Quintell Beach is listed in our database but should not be entered; regular crocodile sightings make swimming and snorkelling there unsafe. Green sea turtles, painted frogfish, potato bass, common blacktip sharks, and chromodoris nudibranchs are recorded across the area.
Monthly water temperature across Lockhart River's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Temperatures are warmest from December through April at around twenty-nine to thirty degrees, and drop to around twenty-five degrees in July and August. The dry season generally brings calmer conditions and the best visibility at coastal sites.
Water temperature around Lockhart River ranges from about 25°C in July to 29°C in January, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 29°C) a rash guard or 3mm shorty is comfortable in Lockhart River; in the coldest months (about 25°C) step up to a 3mm full suit.
Fin maps 3 sites in Lockhart River (2 scuba diving sites and 2 snorkelling spots, with some suited to both).
Across Lockhart River's dive sites, June, July, August, September and October are most often reported as the best months to visit.
3 more sites to explore
