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
WreckTurquoise Coast
J P Webb Wreck (Ledge Point)
A boiler and triple-expansion steam engine in 4 m on the reef that wrecked this 1951 delivery voyage.
WreckMandurah & Peel
James Service Wreck
The most intact of the Murray Reef wrecks: an 1878 iron barque with a recognisable stern in 3–5 m, lost with all hands.
WreckRottnest Island
Janet Wreck
Admiralty anchors, davit and boiler of Fremantle's largest vessel of 1887, plus a small reef cave, a short swim from the Macedon.
WallRowley Shoals
Jimmy Goes to China
Grey reefs and silvertips on a current-swept point.
WreckMargaret River & Augusta
Katinka Wreck
The bow, bowsprit, windlass and masts of an 805-ton iron barque wrecked in the 1900 storm, in 5-6 m.
WreckPerth
Key Biscayne Oil Rig Wreck
An upturned oil rig in 26–42 m of often clear blue water, known for grey nurse sharks and large fish.
Jetty/PierPerth
Kwinana Grain Terminal Jetty
An 800 m working jetty whose pylons are densely encrusted and full of macro life, with deeper, fish-filled structure at the…
WreckRottnest Island
Lady Elizabeth Wreck
Substantial remains of an 1878 composite barque on clean sand in calm, clear water behind Dyer Island, with caves nearby.
WreckAlbany & Great Southern
Lady Lyttleton Wreck (Emu Point Channel)
Buried hull, windlass and whaling trypots of an 1867 barque, 15 m off Emu Point.
ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Lakeside Sanctuary Zone
A calm, buoyed sanctuary-zone snorkel with turtles, rays and reef sharks just off the beach.
WreckGeographe Bay & Busselton
Lena Wreck
A 55 m toothfish poacher captured by the Navy, now an upright artificial reef at an easy 8-18 m with open holds and engine room.
Shore/Rock PlatformAlbany & Great Southern
Little Boat Harbour Dive Trail (Bremer Bay)
WA's premier leafy seadragon shore dive, with weedy seadragons, cuttlefish and nudibranchs in under 10 m.
WreckTurquoise Coast
Lubra Wreck (Jurien Bay)
The engine block and stern of an 1898 coastal steamer on a reef between Jurien Bay's islands.
WreckPerth
Lygnern & Samuel Plimsoll Wrecks
Two historic ships on one site at the harbour mouth: the Swedish steamer Lygnern (1928) with the cut-up clipper Samuel Plimsoll…
Shore/Rock PlatformPerth
MAAC Dive and Snorkel Trail
A 400 m interpretive underwater trail with about 20 plinths, weedy seadragons and a wheelchair-accessible entry.
WallRowley Shoals
Mermaid Wall
The Shoals' deepest wall, draped in red gorgonians.
Shore/Rock PlatformPerth
Mettams Pool
A sheltered, accessible lagoon for families and an outer reef with swim-throughs, ledges, an arch and colourful sea fans.
WreckRottnest Island
Mira Flores Wreck
Intact stern of an 1886 German barque in a sand hole on Horseshoe Reef, with hull sections scattered through kelp.
DriftNingaloo – Exmouth
Ningaloo Humpback Whale Swim
Licensed snorkel encounters with migrating humpback whales, July–October.
DriftNingaloo – Exmouth
Ningaloo Whale Shark Swim
Swim beside the world's largest fish on licensed tours with spotter planes, March–July.
WreckPilbara & Dampier
No. 20 McDermott Barge
A giant cyclone-wrecked derrick barge in shallow water.
WreckPerth
North Mole & North Mole Barge
An upright, partly penetrable hopper barge in 8 m, reached by a pole trail from the North Mole, and the main sheltered shore…
WreckPerth
Omeo Wreck & Coogee Maritime Trail
A 1858 iron steamer lying 25 m off the beach in 3 m of water, with a 200 m trail of reef modules and sculptures running seaward…
Shore/Rock PlatformNingaloo – Exmouth
Oyster Stacks
Oyster-encrusted rock stacks swarming with fish a few metres from shore.