MOORINGS at Cook Island off Fingal Head have been upgraded to help promote tourism to the popular dive spot while protecting the sensitive marine habitat.

Four of the island's existing 14 moorings have been upgraded by the NSW Government, providing safer access for local tourism operators while protecting delicate corals surrounding the island.

A popular scuba diving and snorkelling site located 600m offshore from Fingal Head, Cook Island is a significant breeding area for seabirds and a habitat for green turtles, stingrays, sharks and fish species.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest said commercial operators could now have priority access to the reserve.

"The upgraded moorings have been designated as commercial property to cater for tourism vessels up to 15 metres in length,” Mr Provest said.

"Recreational users of the reserve can still tie up at the nine remaining pink mooring buoys at all times, and can use red mooring buoys when no commercial operators are present.

The reserve includes a no-take marine sanctuary surrounding the island, which is marked by yellow buoys, and boaters must comply with the mooring code of conduct, which requires all vessels to be attended at all times and not anchored.

"The courtesy moorings eliminate the need for users of the reserve to anchor and risk any damage to the complex rocky reefs,” Mr Provest said.

"The Cook Island corals are really healthy, and we'd like to keep it that way. We'd prefer that boaters use the moorings rather than anchoring wherever possible.”

Tweed Seasports' Peter Comerford, a dive instructor who operates several weekly commercial dive boat charters to the reserve, said the upgrade would provide a big boost to local tourism and diving.

"It's a thriving industry that's been around for a long, long time, and the new buoys will really assist us,” Mr Comerford said.

"By having access to these buoys, we can offer an all weekend and during the week service which is a great benefit for us.

"It'll really boost our industry and boost commercial diving as well, so I think it's a great move.”

The upgraded moorings are now ready for use. Access onto the island itself is not permitted.