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
WreckGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Ben Ledi & Windsor Wrecks (Pelsaert Group)
Two shallow iron wrecks, one with its boiler above the surface, in the southern Abrolhos.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Blue Holes (Ningaloo westside)
Blue holes in the outer reef.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Coral Bay
Blue Maze
An easy maze of coral heads and sand channels.
Details need confirmationWallAlbany & Great Southern
Breaksea Island Southern Dropoff
Ocean-facing granite wall to 40 m with caves, sponge gardens, black coral trees and schooling pelagics.
Details need confirmationReefAlbany & Great Southern
Bremer Bay – Fishery Beach & Glasse Island
Granite coves and islands around Bremer Bay's entrance with sponge gardens, seadragons and sea lions.
Details need confirmationIslandBroome & Kimberley
Browse Island
WA's most remote island, ringed by reef and guano-era shipwrecks.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformGeographe Bay & Busselton
Bunbury Back Beach
A rocky ocean-beach snorkel close to Bunbury's town centre, good on rare flat mornings.
Details need confirmationReefGeographe Bay & Busselton
Bunbury Offshore Coral Reefs
A little-known set of coral reefs and lumps off Bunbury from 10 m to 33 m, dived by the local charter.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformGeographe Bay & Busselton
Bunbury Outer Harbour Breakwater
Rock-wall habitat with cuttlefish, rays and nudibranchs on the sheltered side of Bunbury's harbour.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformPerth
Burns Beach Reef
A quieter reef snorkel at the northern end of Marmion Marine Park.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Burns Rocks & Ocean Reef reefs
Offshore reefs at a sea lion haul-out in the north of Marmion Marine Park, five minutes from Ocean Reef.
Details need confirmationWreckBroome & Kimberley
Calliance Wreck (Camden Harbour)
A relic of the failed 1864 Camden Harbour settlement.
Details need confirmationDriftNingaloo – Coral Bay
Cardabia Passage
A reef passage north of Coral Bay where ocean water funnels through the reef.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Challenger Rock (Garden Island)
A sheltered reef with caves off northern Garden Island, 10 minutes from the ramps, near the site where the Sepia struck.
Details need confirmationReefBroome & Kimberley
Channel Rock (Broome)
Soft coral swim-throughs at 25 m.
Details need confirmationReefRottnest Island
Cigar Reef
An offbeat reef with thermoclines, odd currents and a reputation for unusual creatures.
Details need confirmationIslandAlbany & Great Southern
Coffin Island
Sea lion and fur seal colonies with caves, gutters and sponge gardens, a short boat run from Two Peoples Bay.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Coral Garden (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with hard and soft corals at 14–21 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmationReefGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Coral Patches (Pelsaert Group)
Steep coral slopes of finger and plate coral inside the Pelsaert lagoon.
Details need confirmationReefMargaret River & Augusta
Cosy Corner Offshore Reefs
Island-sheltered reefs with schools of bream, sweep and zebrafish, reached by boat from Hamelin Bay.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformPerth
Cottesloe Pylon
A short snorkel from Cottesloe Beach to the heritage-listed 1936 shark-net pylon and the reef at its base.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Cow Rocks (Marmion)
An inshore Marmion reef close to Hillarys with overhangs, lobsters and blue groper.
Details need confirmationReefMargaret River & Augusta
Cowaramup Bay
Inshore reef and deeper offshore reefs with blue groper and kingfish at Gracetown, diveable on flat days.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Crayfish Gully (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with multiple ledges at 15–20 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmation