Steve's Bommie
Great Barrier Reef · Australia
An isolated coral tower on Ribbon Reef Number 3 that climbs from a 30 m sand floor to within 5 m of the surface. Schools of bigeye trevally, fusiliers and yellow lined snapper rotate around the pinnacle in dense columns while macro hunters search the crevices for leafy scorpionfish, stonefish, longnose hawkfish and peacock mantis shrimp. Anemonefish defend host anemones near the summit and grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks patrol the deeper edges. A memorial plaque to Steve, the free diver the site is named after, sits near the base at about 25 m.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 30 m
Open water and up
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
25 to 40 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
22 to 30°C
5 mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 27 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Bigeye trevally
Last confirmed May 15, 2026 · 65 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Reef stonefish
Last confirmed Oct 30, 2024 · 3 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Longnose hawkfish
Last confirmed Jul 17, 2024 · 2 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Whitetip reef shark
Last confirmed Jul 12, 2024 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Green sea turtle
Last confirmed Oct 30, 2024 · 2 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Cinnamon clownfish
Last confirmed Oct 30, 2024 · 2 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Dwarf minke whale
Last confirmed Jul 11, 2025 · 8 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Yellow-lined snapper
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear
Basic kit
For this site
- Macro lens or torch · The pinnacle is a top critter dive on the Ribbon Reefs; leafy scorpionfish, stonefish and longnose hawkfish reward a close inspection lens or pocket torch.
- Dive computer with logbook room · A typical liveaboard schedule stacks four to five dives a day; surface intervals on the boat are short and Steve's is often dived twice on the same itinerary.