Rottnest Island (Thomson Bay settlement)
51 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Rottnest Island (Thomson Bay settlement) →AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS
Diving in Western Australia
Explore 434 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.
Custom YouDive mascot art inspired by Western Australia. An imaginative illustration, not a photograph or map of this destination.
Your bearings, in a minute
Western Australia at a glance
Start with the local site mix, explore the map and find people to ask about your trip.
- Explore
- 434 site records
- Recorded settings
- Reef · Wreck · Shore/Rock Platform
- Map coverage
- 434 locations to explore
- Plan with local help
- Meet the listed operators
Directory counts describe published records, not bookable trips. Location confidence is shown separately in the map list. How we check information →
Sources, authorship and review status
Prepared by YouDive editorial with AI assistance. No firsthand visit, equipment test or instructor review is implied.
Independent specialist review: pending. We publish a reviewer’s name, qualifications, date and exact review scope only after the review has actually happened.
Who can contribute and how reviews work →Find your bearings
Explore Western Australia on the map
Compare where the recorded sites sit, then open a site to read its access and source notes. Locations are for orientation, not marine navigation or entry instructions.
434 matching records · 434 with a map location · 0 without a usable position.
10 Metre Spire
Pinnacle/Bommie · 10–27 m
Recorded location
100s and 1000s
Reef · 8–14 m
Approximate area
20 Metre Ridge
Reef · 20–32 m
Recorded location
23rd Parallel
Reef · 10–24 m
Approximate area
Adele Island
Island · 3–20 m
Recorded location
Agincourt Wreck
Wreck · 4–6 m
Recorded location
Ahwina Tug Wreck (Gull Rock)
Wreck · 0.5–3 m
Recorded location
Albany Artificial Reef (Ledge Beach – planned)
Artificial Reef · Not recorded
Approximate area
ALC40 & Gay Dragon Wrecks (Bicton)
Wreck · 7–8.5 m
Recorded location
Alkimos Wreck
Wreck · 0–7 m
Recorded location
Ammo Jetty
Jetty/Pier · 1–9 m
Approximate area
Anemone Lump (Easter Group)
Pinnacle/Bommie · 3–38 m
Approximate area
The local notebook
Where should you start in Western Australia?
Use the actual places attached to the local records to narrow your research. These are recorded nearby towns and areas, not verified departure points or accommodation recommendations.
Exmouth
44 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Exmouth →Broome
34 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Broome →Albany
26 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Albany →Esperance
21 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Esperance →Coral Bay
20 site records refer to this town or area.
Look for operators around Coral Bay →Different outings to look into
| Local example | Recorded nearby place | Recorded access | Follow the evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roebuck Bay Flying Boat Wrecks (deep-water Catalinas) | Broome | Boat | Recorded source ↗ |
| Albany Artificial Reef (Ledge Beach – planned) | Albany | Boat (day trip) | Recorded source ↗ |
| Cathedral Rocks Caverns | Rottnest Island (Thomson Bay settlement) | Boat (day trip) | Recorded source ↗ |
| Cardabia Passage | Coral Bay | Boat (day trip) | Recorded source ↗ |
How to use this shortlist
Choose the named outing that interests you first. Compare its recorded place and access with your accommodation plans, then obtain the actual meeting address and schedule from the provider. The site links show the underlying depth, location confidence and source notes. Similar town names or map positions do not establish that two outings can be combined in a day.
A closer look at Western Australia
Get a feel for the diving
Our Western Australia directory currently includes 434 published site records. The largest recorded category is reef (125 records). Use the mix below to decide what you would like to read about first.
Western Australia: what’s in the directory?
A visual guide to recorded site types. Counts show coverage, not popularity or current availability.
Source: published YouDive directory records for Western Australia. Bars use the same scale within this graphic; the longest is the largest category, not 100% of the destination.
A few local records to compare
Start with Roebuck Bay Flying Boat Wrecks (deep-water Catalinas), Albany Artificial Reef (Ledge Beach – planned), Cathedral Rocks Caverns. These are examples from different recorded categories, not a recommended route or a list of the best sites. Open each record for its sources, map and review notes.
| Site | Recorded type | Access | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roebuck Bay Flying Boat Wrecks (deep-water Catalinas) | Aircraft Wreck | Boat | 5–14 m |
| Albany Artificial Reef (Ledge Beach – planned) Details need confirmation | Artificial Reef | Boat (day trip) | Depth not recorded |
| Cathedral Rocks Caverns | Cave/Cavern | Boat (day trip) | 2–18 m |
| Cardabia Passage Details need confirmation | Drift | Boat (day trip) | 5–20 m |
How the recorded depths compare
A dot shows a recorded maximum. A line joins the recorded minimum and maximum when both are available. These are site descriptions, not target depths or certification limits.
The table above contains the same depth values. Depth alone cannot establish suitability, and records may require correction. Source: the linked site records.
Pick a WA base before you pack
Western Australia is a collection of very different trip ideas. Use a specific region to narrow the search, then make the departure, equipment support and travel arrangements the centre of your plan.
Name the activity you want
Be clear whether you want certified scuba diving, a course, snorkelling or a wildlife excursion. Similar photographs can advertise different activities. If friends are travelling together, list each person’s intended activity separately and ask whether a shared departure is possible. That makes the quote easier to compare and helps avoid booking a memorable-looking trip that does not include the experience you wanted.
Connect the island or coast with the departure
A ferry, accommodation booking and dive trip may need separate reservations. Check how their meeting and return times fit together and which operator supplies each part. For a coastal road trip, anchor the diving around one confirmed base at a time. A broad region name is a browsing label, not a transfer estimate or a promise of equipment support in every town.
Reserve the details that matter
Ask about hire sizes, guiding, gas and equipment services relevant to your actual plans. Record the response and its date rather than assuming a service from a business name. Keep an alternative activity in the itinerary and understand the terms for a changed departure. Buying flexibility in the travel plan can be more useful than collecting extra site names.
Three conversations worth having before you book
Island visit
Do the passenger transfer and dive booking connect?
Check each supplier’s timetable.
Coastal road trip
Which town supports the actual outing?
Build transport around the meeting point.
Wildlife booking
Is this scuba, snorkelling or sightseeing?
Compare the right activity and inclusions.
From “that looks lovely” to a plan
Make Western Australia your kind of dive trip
Find your starting point, meet the local options and keep your ideas together. You do not need to have the whole trip worked out yet.
Where are you on your diving journey?
I’m just getting started
Find out how a first course works, compare your options and get comfortable asking questions.
I’m ready to explore more
Connect your next outing with useful reading and a conversation about the right training and support.
I’m thinking about teaching
Explore the professional pathway and prepare better questions for a training centre.
These are learning paths to explore, not prerequisites for every local site. Confirm the actual course, instructor and your readiness with the provider.
People to talk to about Western Australia
A few operator profiles from this state or territory to start exploring. Shown alphabetically, not as a quality ranking. Ask about the specific trip or course you want.
Listed in this state or territory
ADRENO Perth
O'Connor
An equipment retailer with a spearfishing and freediving emphasis. Primarily retail rather than a training centre.
Meet this operator →Listed in this state or territory
Batavia Coast Dive & Watersports
Geraldton
A Geraldton business providing equipment, training and support for divers heading to the Abrolhos Islands.
Meet this operator →Listed in this state or territory
Bremer Bay Dive
Bremer Bay
Open the profile for contact details and recorded services, then ask about current arrangements.
Meet this operator →Listed in this state or territory
Broome Historical Walking Tours
Broome
Open the profile for contact details and recorded services, then ask about current arrangements.
Meet this operator →Let’s put the pieces together
Start with the place and your questions. Add dates and prices once you have spoken with the people running the trip.
Open my trips
Creates a new trip with this destination, useful reading and starter questions. Saved on this browser; export a backup from My trips.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Choose a region before planning a coast-to-coast itinerary
Western Australia’s directory ranges from Perth and Rottnest to Ningaloo, offshore groups and the south coast. Use those regions as separate planning units. A long list of attractive places can hide a demanding transport schedule, especially when boat departures, equipment collection and onward travel must all connect.
Choose the setting, then the trip Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 434 published site records across Western Australia. The recorded categories include reef (125), wreck (95), shore/rock platform (86), island (34). 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 Western Australia →Ask before booking
- Which town is the practical base for this departure?
- What transport and baggage limits apply?
- What is the plan if the departure is delayed?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Perth and nearby regions
Compare local operators, Rottnest departures and shore records by the actual meeting point. Confirm whether transport is included.
Ningaloo and the north
The Exmouth and Coral Bay pages provide different starting points. Ask which activity and departure you are booking rather than assuming every wildlife experience is a scuba dive.
South coast and offshore groups
Resolve travel, equipment support and departure availability early. An offshore destination in a directory does not establish a regularly available visitor service.
Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Western Australia?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 434 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 Western Australia 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: Tourism Western Australia — maritime heritage and shipwrecks ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Find your region
Albany & Great Southern38 sitesBroome & Kimberley21 sitesEsperance & Recherche Archipelago22 sitesGeographe Bay & Busselton22 sitesGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands22 sitesKalbarri & Shark Bay11 sitesMandurah & Peel6 sitesMargaret River & Augusta27 sitesNingaloo – Coral Bay20 sitesNingaloo – Exmouth44 sitesNullarbor Caves6 sitesPerth82 sitesPilbara & Dampier31 sitesRottnest Island52 sitesRowley Shoals18 sitesTurquoise Coast12 sites
Dive sites to explore
Search within Western Australia, or narrow the list to a recorded dive type. Open a site for its map, sources and access notes.
434 matching site records. Listings do not confirm current access or availability.
WA
Wreck
WreckMargaret River & Augusta
Agincourt Wreck
An 1863 wooden barque with its cargo of timber sleepers still stacked in the hull, 100 m off the beach in 5 m.
WA
Wreck
WreckAlbany & Great Southern
Ahwina Tug Wreck (Gull Rock)
A 1936 tug boiler breaking the surface 50 m off a sheltered beach – Albany's easiest wreck snorkel.
WA
Wreck
WreckPerth
ALC40 & Gay Dragon Wrecks (Bicton)
A WWII landing craft and a sunken junk-style pleasure boat that together are the Swan River's most reliable seahorse site.
WA
Wreck
WreckPerth
Alkimos Wreck
The collapsed Liberty ship behind Perth's best-known shipwreck legends, with its engine still breaking the surface off Alkimos…
WAJetty/Pier
Jetty/PierPerth
Ammo Jetty
Perth's classic easy shore and night dive: century-old pylons encrusted with sponges and corals that hold excellent macro life,…
WAFreshwater Lake/River
Freshwater Lake/RiverBroome & Kimberley
Argyle Downs Homestead (Lake Argyle)
A drowned 1880s outback station: windmill, sheds, tractors and petrol bowsers in a Kimberley lake.
WAReef
ReefNingaloo – Coral Bay
Asho's Gap
Grey reef sharks hovering to be cleaned at a coral outcrop — Coral Bay's must-do dive.
WAWreck
WreckGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Batavia Wreck Site (Morning Reef)
Cannons and anchors of the 1629 Batavia – Australia's most notorious shipwreck and mutiny – in 7 m on Morning Reef.
WAWreck
WreckNingaloo – Coral Bay
Benan
A large, clean iron barque wreck with anchors and masts on the reef.
WAFreshwater Lake/River
Freshwater Lake/RiverPerth
Blackwall Reach (Swan River)
The deepest shore dive in the lower Swan River, with sunken cars, a barge and breeding cardinalfish below the Blackwall Reach…
WAReef
ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Blizzard Ridge
Lighthouse Bay's standout site: a simple reef crack swarming with fish, with turtles, sharks and a manta cleaning station.
WAShore/Rock Platform
Shore/Rock PlatformKalbarri & Shark Bay
Blue Holes (Kalbarri)
Sheltered, fish-filled lagoon pools in a no-fishing protection area, minutes from Kalbarri town.
WAReef
ReefRowley Shoals
Blue Lagoon (Clerke Reef)
Sheltered lagoons with walls, coral heads and 40 m visibility — the Rowleys' easy classic.
WAReef
ReefPerth
Boyinaboat Reef
A compact sanctuary-zone reef with passages, ledges and an underwater plaque trail, 100 m off the Hillarys Boat Harbour wall.
WAJetty/Pier
Jetty/PierPerth
Bulk Jetty (Kwinana)
A sheltered industrial jetty with gently sloping pylons, heavy encrustation and some very large sea stars; a dependable…
WAJetty/Pier
Jetty/PierGeographe Bay & Busselton
Busselton Jetty
A 1.8 km heritage jetty whose end is a forest of sponge- and coral-covered piles at 8 m, with an Underwater Observatory and…
WAArtificial Reef
Artificial ReefGeographe Bay & Busselton
Busselton Jetty Underwater Sculpture Park
Thirteen WA artworks on the seabed at 8 m beside Busselton Jetty, visible to snorkellers and slowly becoming reef.
WAWreck
WreckPerth
Carlisle Castle Wreck
The scattered cargo and iron plates of an 1899 barque lost with all hands, on an exposed reef that can be dived only on the…
WAWreck
WreckPerth
Centaur Wreck (Marmion)
Galena cargo and scattered remains of an 1874 iron brig under a reef break, with good shallow swim-throughs nearby.
WAWreck
WreckTurquoise Coast
Cervantes Wreck (Thirsty Point)
The timbers of the 1844 American whaler that gave the town of Cervantes its name.
WAWreck
WreckPerth
Chalmers Wreck
The ballast mound and scattered fittings of an 1874 barque whose captain mistook a bushfire for the Rottnest light.
WAWreck
WreckMargaret River & Augusta
Chaudiere Wreck
An 1863 Sunderland-built barque with stacked sleepers and copper sheathing, the closest wreck to the Hamelin Bay ramp.
WAWreck
WreckAlbany & Great Southern
Cheynes III Wreck
Reputedly the first purpose-sunk dive wreck in the southern hemisphere – a 1943 whale chaser from Australia's last whaling…
WAWreck
WreckNingaloo – Coral Bay
Chofuku Maru
The largest wreck on Ningaloo: propeller, 40 m shaft, engine, boilers and bow on the reef.