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 PlatformTurquoise Coast
Leeman & Fishermans Islands
Sheltered lagoon snorkelling and offshore islands with a large Australian sea lion colony.
Details need confirmationReefGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Lighthouse Passage & Hell's Gates (Geraldton)
Offshore reefs where coral trout and turtles meet dhufish, blue devils and pineapple fish.
Details need confirmationIslandEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Lion Island
Sheltered, shallow granite-boulder dive with sponges, corals and fans – a good weather fallback.
Details need confirmationIslandEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Long Island (Recherche)
Caverns, swim-throughs and ridge-and-gutter reef in 20-30 m with big blue groper and queen snapper.
Details need confirmationIslandGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Long Island (Wallabi Group)
Tropical staghorn with temperate fish at the island where the Batavia mutineers were executed.
Details need confirmationJetty/PierPerth
Long Jetty (Rockingham)
A very shallow, sheltered jetty suited to children's snorkelling and supervised first dives.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Longreach Bay
A broad, calm north-coast bay close to the settlement with corals, tropical fish and occasional dolphins.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Magistrates Rock
Rarely dived, swell-sculpted rock with undercut caverns and very clear water on calm days.
Details need confirmationWreckAlbany & Great Southern
Mandalay Wreck (Mandalay Beach, Walpole)
An occasionally exposed 1911 Norwegian barque wreck on a wild Walpole beach – a heritage walk, not a dive.
Details need confirmationWallNingaloo – Exmouth
Mandu Wall
A remote west-side wall off Mandu Mandu.
Details need confirmationWreckBroome & Kimberley
Manfred Wreck (Lacepede Islands)
An 1879 guano-era barque visible at low tide.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformPerth
Marine Beach & Elizabeth Reef (South Cottesloe)
A quieter reef snorkel at South Cottesloe with varied fish and a marker buoy over deeper reef.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Mary Cove
A quiet, clear-water south-coast cove with rocky outcrops away from the crowds.
Details need confirmationWreckGeographe Bay & Busselton
Mary Wreck (Lockeville Jetty)
The mostly buried remains of an 1879 schooner beside the old Lockeville Jetty piles.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformNingaloo – Coral Bay
Maud's Landing
Historic 1890s port site and turtle rookery north of Coral Bay.
Details need confirmationWreckGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Mayhill Wreck (Geraldton)
A 100 m spread of iron wreckage from an 1895 loss, 400 m off the Geraldton port entrance.
Details need confirmationCave/CavernRowley Shoals
Mermaid Caves
Caves on Mermaid Reef.
Details need confirmationDriftPilbara & Dampier
Mermaid Passage (Dampier)
A macro drift over a sponge and sea-whip seabed.
Details need confirmationMuck/SandKalbarri & Shark Bay
Monkey Mia
World-famous wild dolphin visits – a wildlife experience, not a dive.
Details need confirmationWallKalbarri & Shark Bay
Monkey Rock (Steep Point)
A fault-line dive at Australia's westernmost mainland point, one of Shark Bay's best-known sites.
Details need confirmationReefGeraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Morley Island Dive Trail
A gentle reef slope with finger-coral shallows and low walls – good for mixed snorkel/dive groups.
Details need confirmationReefMandurah & Peel
Murray Reefs
A lightly dived ribbon of kelp-covered limestone reef with overhangs, sea fans and three historic wrecks.
Details need confirmationReefMargaret River & Augusta
Mushroom Reef
A narrow crevice through the island packed with marine life, for flat-calm days.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformAlbany & Great Southern
Mutton Bird Island (Albany)
Easy sandy entry to granite island reef on the wild coast west of Albany – a good night dive on calm days.
Details need confirmation