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
ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Gulliver's
An easy, fishy ridge reef completing the Lighthouse Bay trio; ideal first dive of the day.
ReefPerth
Hall Bank
An easy, shallow offshore reef 20 minutes from Fremantle with good coral and sponge growth, wobbegongs under the ledges and…
IslandMargaret River & Augusta
Hamelin Island
A sheltered lee-side reef flat with ledges, small caves, sea fans and a long list of reef fish.
Pinnacle/BommieMargaret River & Augusta
Hamelin Island NE Bommie
A 50 m bommie with caves and swim-throughs and resident Port Jackson sharks off Hamelin Island.
ReefRowley Shoals
Imperieuse Reef
The least-publicised atoll, with the Cunningham Island lighthouse.
Shore/Rock PlatformMargaret River & Augusta
Injidup Natural Spa
A natural rock-pool 'spa' where waves cascade over granite - a scenic swim, not a dive.
ReefRottnest Island
Jack's Patch
A linear limestone reef with corals, ledges, swim-throughs and a large cave at 13-17 m off Salmon Point.
Shore/Rock PlatformPerth
Jervoise Bay Groyne & Boat Ramps
A rough-weather option with surprisingly good walls of zoanthids and fan sponges, and plenty of inquisitive toadfish and…
Jetty/PierTurquoise Coast
Jurien Bay Jetty & Underwater Snorkel Trail
Free community snorkel trail of 70-plus reef balls around the old jetty piles – when not buried by sand.
IslandPilbara & Dampier
Kendrew Island
Gutters and pinnacles on an exposed outer island.
ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
Keyhole
Keyhole- and window-shaped openings in soft coral-draped overhangs.
Artificial ReefNingaloo – Exmouth
King Reef (Exmouth Artificial Reef)
Australia's largest artificial reef at the time of deployment (2018): steel towers up to 10 m high rising from 17 m of sand.
WreckAlbany & Great Southern
Kingfisher Wreck (Princess Royal Harbour)
One of WA's oldest iron wrecks, an 1854 barque partly exposed at low water in Princess Royal Harbour.
WreckRottnest Island
Kiryo Maru I Wreck
Scattered remains of a 1984 Japanese tuna longliner in the white water beside Cathedral Rocks.
IslandBroome & Kimberley
Lacepede Islands
A remote turtle and seabird sanctuary with the 1879 Manfred wreck.
IslandPilbara & Dampier
Legendre Island
The archipelago's best drop-off, with gorgonians and pelagics to 30 m+.
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Little Armstrong Bay
Calm, shallow seagrass maze in the Armstrong Bay Sanctuary Zone - an easy north-coast snorkel.
Shore/Rock PlatformAlbany & Great Southern
Little Beach & Waterfall Beach (Two Peoples Bay)
Tropical-looking clear water over white sand and granite boulders at one of WA's most beautiful beaches.
IslandPerth
Little Island (Marmion)
A sea lion haul-out island in a sanctuary zone off Hillarys, with shallow protected reef and clearer water than the inshore sites.
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Little Parakeet Bay
A tiny, calm, shallow bay with coral gardens, starfish and stingrays - ideal for young children.
Shore/Rock PlatformRottnest Island
Little Salmon Bay
A sheltered south-coast lagoon with coral bommies in a few metres of water and a snorkel trail, diveable in most winds.
ReefNingaloo – Coral Bay
Lottie's Lagoon
Coral Bay's macro and critter site, shallow and calm.
Shore/Rock PlatformEsperance & Recherche Archipelago
Lucky Bay (Cape Le Grand)
An iconic white-sand bay with kangaroos on the beach, calm water and granite reef at its western end.
Artificial ReefMandurah & Peel
Mandurah Artificial Reef
WA's first artificial reef funded entirely by recreational fishers: six clusters of concrete modules in 25 m off Mandurah.