Witness the extraordinary spectacle of Montgomery Reef — one of Australia's largest inshore reefs — appearing to 'rise' from the sea as the tide recedes, cascading waterfalls and all, on an expert-led Zodiac expedition with a marine ecologist.
What to expect
As the tide drops, rivulets of trapped seawater cascade off the reef's edge like a living waterfall, and the 400-square-kilometre platform emerges from the Indian Ocean before your eyes. Your ecologist narrates the rare tidal mechanics while the Zodiac idles beside grazing green turtles and cruising whitetip reef sharks. Dugongs surface regularly in the surrounding sea-grass beds — one of the largest populations in Australia. The sheer otherworldliness of a reef visibly rising from the sea is a sight found nowhere else on the planet.
Good to know
Timing is entirely tide-dependent; your guide will brief you on the optimal departure window each morning. Wear lightweight, quick-dry layers — the Zodiac rides can be breezy even in high temperatures. Polarised sunglasses are strongly recommended for spotting marine life beneath the surface.