Gifford Marine Park protects a 2000 metre high flat-topped undersea volcano called Gifford Tablemount. This is a key ecological feature that makes up a part of the larger Lord Howe Seamount Chain, a series of submerged mountains running 1000 kilometres north to south from the Coral Sea to Lord Howe Island.

Ecosystems within the Gifford Marine Park are influenced by tropical and temperate currents due to its location in the path of the Tasman Front, which brings a mix of warm tropical waters and colder, nutrient-rich waters from the south. The park includes important foraging habitat for migratory seabirds, such as the black and great-winged petrels, and is also frequented by migrating humpback whales.

Gifford Marine Park is located 480 kilometres north of Lord Howe Island and covers 5,828 square kilometres. It is a Habitat Protection Zone. – Parks Australia

Gifford ranges from 258 to 3,350 metres depth, with an average depth of 2,316 metres. The majority of the Park (81%) falls within the lower-slope zone (2,000-4,000 metres). [View on map] The mapped areas of the seafloor are dominated by Plane (49%) and Slope (18%) geomorphology. Seamounts/Guyots have been mapped in this Park. [View on map]