Channel Rock (Broome)

Meet the site

Channel Rock is listed by the Marine Life Network at 25 m, with swim-throughs and plenty of soft corals, groupers, batfish and small invertebrates.

Diving around Broome: the town's waters are better known for pearling than recreational diving, and the Marine Life Network documents a handful of reef and rock sites off Gantheaume Point and Riddell Point and further offshore that local divers visit on neap tides. The limestone reefs are coated in soft corals, sponges and gorgonians rather than the hard coral of Ningaloo, and fish life is often dense because the sites are rarely dived. The ruling factors are tide and visibility: the same site can be clear on a neap slack and unusable on a spring tide. Saltwater crocodiles, large sharks and seasonal box jellyfish mean divers should plan conservatively, carry surface support and dive with someone who knows the area.

Planning notes: Advanced Open Water certification is recommended and the site is rated advanced. Expect to spend most of the dive around 20 m, with a maximum of about 25 m. Access is by boat only, and site selection depends on wind, swell and tide on the day. Currents are significant, so timing around the tide is part of the plan. Best season: May–September on neap tides. Traffic: rarely dived (private boat/club only).

What you might see

Groupers, batfish, soft corals, small invertebrates

Location

Offshore rock near Broome at about 25 m with swim-throughs and soft corals.

Facilities nearby

Entrance Point and Town Beach boat ramps; Broome town services.