AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS
Diving in Western Australia
Explore 434 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.
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
Dive sites to explore
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Pinky Beach
A wide, sheltered beach with an undulating coral reef beside the Bathurst Lighthouse, ten minutes from the ferry.
ReefNingaloo – Coral Bay
Point Maud Manta Cleaning Station
Coral Bay's manta cleaning area, with WA's largest resident manta population.
Shore/Rock PlatformGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Point Moore (Geraldton)
A limestone reef packed with crayfish and a resident moray eel, a few minutes from central Geraldton.
Shore/Rock PlatformMargaret River & Augusta
Quarry Bay
A sheltered snorkel near Cape Leeuwin in the bay that supplied stone for the lighthouse.
Pinnacle/BommieNingaloo – Exmouth
Ranger's Bommies
Healthy Porites bommies with stingrays wedged underneath and leopard sharks on the sand.
ReefPilbara & Dampier
Rankin Road
A deeper ridge named for its Rankin cod.
WreckRottnest Island
Raven Wreck
A hunt through kelp for the ballast stones and sheathing of an 1891 barque lost under a drunken skipper.
IslandEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Remark Island & Frederick Island
Sheltered granite with seals on Remark's north side, a 50 m sponge and black coral wall on its south, and Frederick Island's…
Pinnacle/BommiePilbara & Dampier
Rob's Bommie
Resting nurse sharks and wobbegongs on a shallow bommie.
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Rocky Bay
Remote, secluded lagoons behind rocks with turtles, octopus and stingrays - best on northerly mornings.
Freshwater Lake/RiverPerth
Rocky Bay (Swan River)
A steep river drop-off close to Fremantle with seahorses and toadfish, useful when the coast is closed.
IslandPilbara & Dampier
Rosemary Island
Sheltered bays and varied reefs on a large outer island.
WreckRottnest Island
Rottnest Ships' Graveyard
Dozens of deliberately scuttled vessels, mostly unseen, in 46-200 m - Perth's frontier for technical wreck exploration.
WreckNingaloo – Exmouth
SS Mildura Wreck
A 1907 cattle steamer with boilers still breaking the surface off the tip of North West Cape.
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Salmon Bay
A broad south-coast bay with shallow coral ledges and schools of bream, excellent in easterly winds.
WreckRottnest Island
Salmon Bay Unidentified Wreck
A lone boiler, shaft and propeller of unknown origin in clear 26 m water off Salmon Bay.
Shore/Rock PlatformAlbany & Great Southern
Salmon Holes (Torndirrup)
Dramatic granite and turquoise water in Torndirrup National Park – a flat-day snorkel only.
Pinnacle/BommieAlbany & Great Southern
Sandra's (Dillon Bay, Bremer Bay)
A plate-coral bommie from 18 to 8 m with a field of gorgonian fans, 400 m off Little Boat Harbour.
ReefBroome & Kimberley
Scott Reef
Remote oceanic atolls with walls rising from 500 m, rarely dived.
IslandAlbany & Great Southern
Seal Island (King George Sound)
Sheltered granite reef beside the HMAS Perth with pineapple fish and blue devils – one of Albany's best night dives.
IslandPerth
Seal Island (Shoalwater)
Shallow reef around a sea lion haul-out in sheltered Shoalwater Bay, with sea lions often coming out to investigate snorkellers.
Shore/Rock PlatformMargaret River & Augusta
Skippy Rock
A sheltered, boulder-strewn cove near Cape Leeuwin with waves broken by continuous reef - and a permanent rip to avoid.
ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
South Mandu
A quiet, shallow coral garden off a white-sand beach.
Shore/Rock PlatformPerth
South Mole & Bathers Beach
An easy snorkel from Bathers Beach below the Round House, and a shallow rock-wall and seagrass dive at the harbour entrance.