Barrow Island Marine Park (Biggada Reef & Turtle Bay)

Meet the site

Barrow Island Marine Park covers the western side of Barrow Island, just south of the Montebellos, and is entirely a sanctuary zone — the highest proportion of no-take area of any WA marine park. It includes Biggada Reef, one of the two significant fringing reefs in the Montebello/Barrow reserve system. From late July, large numbers of green turtles gather in Turtle Bay to breed, and hawksbill and flatback turtles also use the bay.

Barrow Island itself hosts the Gorgon gas project and is a Class A nature reserve; access to Barrow and nearby Boodie, Middle and Double islands is not permitted, and camping is prohibited. DBCA nonetheless notes that visitors can dive, snorkel and swim the reef from vessels. With no operators, it is a private-boat destination only.

About the Montebellos: the group of more than 200 small limestone islands and islets lies 120 km west of Dampier and is protected as the Montebello Islands Marine Park, with more than 150 hard coral species, over 450 fish species, 170 echinoderms and 630 molluscs recorded. Flatback, green and hawksbill turtles nest here, and humpback, minke and Bryde's whales, dolphins and dugong frequent the waters. The islands carry a unique history: British atomic tests were conducted on and near Trimouille and Alpha islands in 1952 (Operation Hurricane) and 1956 (Operation Mosaic), and visitors are advised to visit rather than camp on those islands. Pearl farming has operated in the lagoons since the early 1900s.

Planning notes: Open Water certification is recommended and the site is rated advanced. Expect to spend most of the dive around 8 m, with a maximum of about 15 m. It can only be reached on a multi-day expedition or liveaboard, so it is usually one of several sites dived on the trip and choices are made by the crew on the day. Currents are significant, so timing around the tide is part of the plan. Best season: April–October. Traffic: remote/expedition only.

What you might see

Green turtles (breeding aggregations from late July), hawksbill and flatback turtles, fringing reef corals and fish

Location

Fringing reef (Biggada Reef) and Turtle Bay on the west coast of Barrow Island, protected entirely as a sanctuary zone; landing on the island is prohibited.

Facilities nearby

None – remote uninhabited islands. Radiation warning signs on Trimouille and Alpha islands.