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
Jetty/PierGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Geraldton Harbour Breakwater & Jetties
Macro life under harbour jetties and breakwaters – a fallback when the wind rules out other sites.
Details need confirmationReefAlbany & Great Southern
Gia Batta Patch
Easy, shallow limestone patch reef in the sound – a dependable training and night dive.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Gordon's Grotto (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with caves and swim-throughs at 12–15 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmationReefRottnest Island
Green Island (Rottnest)
A sanctuary-zone reef where endangered Australian sea lions haul out, with a chance of an in-water encounter.
Details need confirmationReefKalbarri & Shark Bay
Gregories & Bottle Bay (Francois Peron NP)
Remote coral snorkelling amid red-cliff scenery in Francois Peron National Park.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Grouper Gully (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with fan corals at 15–20 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmationIslandEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Gunton Island
Jagged ridges, bommies and undercuts with schooling samson fish and an unidentified wooden boat wreck.
Details need confirmationWreckPilbara & Dampier
HMAS Plym (Montebello Islands)
Site of Britain's first atomic test, 1952.
Details need confirmationReefGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Half Moon Reef (Pelsaert Group)
Big fish and reef sharks on the exposed seaward face of the reef that wrecked the Zeewijk.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformPerth
Hamersley Pool
A quieter, reef-enclosed tidal pool just north of Mettams, suited to families and beginners.
Details need confirmationReefPilbara & Dampier
Hamersley Shoal
An offshore fishing shoal with exploratory diving potential.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTurquoise Coast
Hangover Bay (Nambung)
Easy, sheltered snorkel on inshore limestone reef near the Pinnacles.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Helga's Tunnels
Tunnels and swim-throughs on the deepest of the Lighthouse Bay sites.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Hellfire Bay (Cape Le Grand)
A granite-framed bay of startling clarity with picnic facilities – easy family snorkelling.
Details need confirmationReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Hole in the Wall (Ningaloo)
Caves packed with glassfish.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Horrocks Beach Reefs
Clearer water than Geraldton with ledges and swim-throughs on offshore limestone reef.
Details need confirmationReefPerth
Ian's Cave Reef (Mindarie)
An offshore Mindarie reef with north–south ledges and caves at 15–20 m, rarely dived and with good fish life.
Details need confirmationWallMargaret River & Augusta
Indicators (Canal Rocks)
Offshore walls and caves at 20-30 m off Canal Rocks, rich in fish and rarely dived.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Israelite Bay
A wilderness bay with historic telegraph station ruins – the edge of the Great Australian Bight.
Details need confirmationReefRottnest Island
Jackson's Rock
An isolated reef of ledges, gullies and caves 'packed with marine life', closer to Fremantle than most Rottnest sites.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformMargaret River & Augusta
Kilcarnup
A remote limestone reef with good fish life and some shelter from the west, reached by 4WD and a steep track.
Details need confirmationReefRottnest Island
Kingston Spit
A less-visited north-east reef with Roe Reef-style ledges and caves and better fish life because of low traffic.
Details need confirmationMuck/SandGeographe Bay & Busselton
Koombana Bay (Dolphin Discovery Centre)
A calm, sheltered bay beside the Dolphin Discovery Centre with a chance of snorkelling near wild bottlenose dolphins.
Details need confirmationWreckEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Lapwing Wreck (Long Island)
A small, completely intact fishing boat in 32 m, smothered in soft coral and sponges.
Details need confirmation