---
node: spot_great_barrier_reef_agincourt_reef
type: spot
slug: agincourt_reef
destination: dest_great_barrier_reef
title: "Agincourt Reef"
lead: "Agincourt Reef is a chain of ribbon reefs at the outer edge of the continental shelf, north-east of Port Douglas. Being on the outer edge is the point: the water is clear because the open ocean is on the other side."
published: 2026-08-17
updated: 2026-08-17
image_file: spot_great_barrier_reef_agincourt_reef.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agincourt_Reef,_Great_Barrier_Reef,_Queensland_(483727)_(9443476636).jpg"
image_author: "Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada"
image_license: "CC BY 2.0"
---

## Overview

Ribbon reefs are long, narrow reefs that lie along the shelf break rather than in patches, and Agincourt is the southern group of them. On the seaward side the bottom falls away into deep water, which keeps sediment out and visibility high, and brings larger fish in close. The reef top is a shallow garden of hard and soft coral. It is a mooring rather than an island — there is nothing above water, so trips work from a pontoon or directly off the boat.

## Highlights

Snorkelling here is better than at inshore reefs on most days simply because you can see further. Certified divers get wall dives on the ocean side; introductory dives run from the same platforms. Semi-submersible and glass-bottom boats cover the same coral for anyone not getting in. Boats leave Port Douglas daily and the run out takes about ninety minutes, so it is a full day.