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
Freshwater Lake/RiverBroome & Kimberley
Crocodile Cove (Lake Argyle)
Underwater encounters with timid freshwater crocodiles.
Details need confirmationWreckMargaret River & Augusta
Cumberland Wreck
Anchor, cannon and timbers of one of WA's earliest colonial-era wrecks, hidden in weed south of Cape Hamelin.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Dewy Ledge (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with a 50 m wide ridge at 15–20 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Dibley's
A quieter Lighthouse Bay alternative with the bay's typical ledges, cracks and fish.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Dinner Plates
Formerly dense fields of plate coral (likely heatwave-affected).
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieBroome & Kimberley
Disaster Rock
Pelagic action on an offshore rock.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Drummond Cove
Quiet shore dive around small rocks and reefs north of Geraldton.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Duke of Orleans Bay & Wharton Beach
Ultra-clear water, granite outcrops and nearby Recherche islands at a remote, uncrowded bay.
Details need confirmationWreckEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Dunster Castle Wreck (Stokes Inlet)
Boiler, engine and a 20 m hull section of a 1916 steamship in the surf zone of a remote national park.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieGeographe Bay & Busselton
Eagle Bay Coral Bommies
Granite pinnacles and ledges in 7-15 m a long swim off Eagle Bay - a local secret.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformKalbarri & Shark Bay
Eagle Bluff (Shark Bay)
Shallow snorkel below a famous wildlife lookout, with coral patches and passing rays and turtles.
Details need confirmationReefGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Easter Group – Rat Island & Little Sandy Island
Snorkelling with the Abrolhos's largest sea lion colony over pristine plate corals.
Details need confirmationReefBroome & Kimberley
Eco Beach Reef
Shallow remote reef with beach accommodation.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformMandurah & Peel
Falcon Bay
A quiet, reef-fringed bay south of Mandurah for an easy morning snorkel.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
False Passage
A reef channel dive at a false passage.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
First Rock (Shoalwater)
Shallow caves running beneath a large limestone rock, with wobbegongs and octopus inside, in the Shoalwater island chain.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Fish Bowl (Muiron Islands)
A reportedly fish-filled sheltered reef at the Muirons.
Details need confirmationReefAlbany & Great Southern
Fish Eyes (Black Point, Bremer Bay)
A granite 'eye socket' on a boulder reef with corals, seadragons and visiting sea lions.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Fish Hole
A fish-filled hole in the reef on a lesser-used Lighthouse Bay mooring.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Fish Hook Bay
A remote West End bay with turquoise water, extensive reef and excellent visibility in a sanctuary zone.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Five Fathom Bank & Seaward Reef
Kilometres of exposed offshore limestone reef and bommies west of Garden Island, with clearer water and strong fish life.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Floats
An easy west-side crack-and-ledge reef close to Tantabiddi.
Details need confirmationReefAlbany & Great Southern
Football Field (King George Sound)
Deep, rarely visited canyons and bommies to 66 m with pristine sponge gardens, huge gorgonians and black coral.
Details need confirmationIslandPerth
Garden Island (Defence restricted)
Sheltered bays for private boats on a naval island, reachable only by sea in daylight.
Details need confirmation