AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS
Diving in External Territories
Explore 169 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Research each territory as its own destination
The external-territory collection groups geographically separate destinations for directory browsing. Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island and offshore reef records do not form one convenient travel region. Open the individual region page and build a separate transport, access and operator plan for that destination.
Choose the setting, then the trip Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 169 published site records across External Territories. The recorded categories include reef (51), wall (45), pinnacle/bommie (18), drift (13). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Start with one of the regional pages below. State-wide totals are useful for browsing, but the actual choice should be made at the level of an operator, a site and a proposed itinerary.
Research operators in External Territories →Ask before booking
- Which territory and jurisdiction does this itinerary visit?
- What park or access permissions apply to the exact location?
- What is the contingency if transport changes?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Island stays
Confirm the route, accommodation, equipment availability and actual departure schedule with local providers. Do not assume a mainland travel pattern applies.
Offshore reefs
A mapped reef may have restricted access or no ordinary visitor departure. Check the responsible park manager and the operator’s permitted itinerary.
Contingency planning
Keep time and budget flexibility around transport. Identify which bookings depend on another service arriving as planned.
Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in External Territories?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 169 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit External Territories for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: Parks Australia — Australian Marine Parks ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Find your region
Dive sites to explore
DriftChristmas Island
The Cemetery
A gentle, shallow drift over colourful coral a few metres from shore – an ideal first drift dive.
DriftNorfolk Island
The Crack (Nepean Island)
Drift along a bay of gutters and caves over a carpet of hard coral, with goldribbon cod, black cod and green turtles.
Muck/SandChristmas Island
The Sandpatch
A dense garden eel colony and easy shallow reef right off the beach; the island's go-to training and night dive.
WallCoral Sea
The Zoo (Bougainville Reef)
Bougainville's signature site, crowded with sharks, turtles and schooling reef fish in clear oceanic water.
Cave/CavernChristmas Island
Thunderdome Cave
A hidden entrance to a dome-shaped cave and an extensive, twisting system with air pockets and formations – the island's most…
Shore/Rock PlatformCocos (Keeling) Islands
Trannies Beach
A calm, sheltered beach snorkel in a no-take National Park zone – ideal for children and beginners.
Pinnacle/BommieCoral Sea
Turbo (Holmes Reef)
A lagoon pinnacle that comes alive with pelagic fish when the tide runs.
Pinnacle/BommieNorfolk Island
Turtle Arch
Turtle-shaped pinnacle near Cooks Arch covered in coral and marine growth, to 21 m.
ReefCoral Sea
Turtle Cave (Holmes Reef)
Shallow bommies on sand at the Holmes overnight mooring – excellent visibility by day and a superb night dive.
WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
Two Caves Wreck
Broken-up remains of a Sri Lankan asylum-seeker boat – engines with a hull section beneath – on a reef with two caves.
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Two Ridges
Two parallel coral ridges shaped like an upturned catamaran hull; a regular spot for manta rays and, historically, the resident…
WallCoral Sea
Walmart (Bougainville Reef)
A 700 m wall covered in colourful invertebrates and swarming basslets.
Pinnacle/BommieCoral Sea
Watanabe Bommie (Flinders Reef)
An office-block-sized pinnacle in open water, draped in soft corals and circled by pelagics and sharks.
ReefChristmas Island
Winifred Beach
A calm, sheltered west-coast reef of gullies and coral heads below a boat-access-only beach.
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Winter Wall
Full hard and soft coral cover on the reef top and rose corals spreading down the wall; a reliable choice in the trade-wind…
WreckCoral Sea
Wreck Reef (HMS Porpoise and Cato wreck sites)
The 1803 wreck sites of Matthew Flinders' HMS Porpoise and the Cato, on a remote reef with outstanding visibility.
WreckCoral Sea
Wreck of the Atlas (Bougainville Reef)
A shallow, coral-covered 1945 freighter wreck spread across Bougainville's reef top and slope.
ReefAshmore Reef
Ashmore Reef
A remote Commonwealth reef reserve with extraordinary biodiversity and traditional perahu wrecks.
Details need confirmationReefChristmas Island
Barracuda Bay
North-coast reef and drop-off named for its schooling barracuda.
Details need confirmationReefCoral Sea
Cato Reef
A remote southern Coral Sea reef with giant bommies, flat reef at 10–15 m and 40 m-plus visibility.
Details need confirmationReefNorfolk Island
Cemetery Bay
Quieter Kingston snorkel beside the convict cemetery; best at mid to high tide on calm days.
Details need confirmationCave/CavernChristmas Island
Coconut Point Cave
A documented submarine cave beneath the Coconut Point drift – a scientific and technical cave site, not a recreational dive.
Details need confirmationWallCoral Sea
Deep Six (Bougainville Reef)
A seldom-described Bougainville Reef site (marinelife.org.au's list of additional Bougainville sites and Mike Ball's itinerary…
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformChristmas Island
Dolly Beach
A remote palm-fringed reef beach with turtle nesting, rock pools and a freshwater stream – snorkel and camp.
Details need confirmation