External Territories

Diving in Christmas Island

Christmas Island is the top of a volcanic seamount, so the fringing reef gives way to a wall within 20–50 m of the shore and keeps falling to 500 m. The diving is drift and wall diving in exceptional visibility, with sea caves such as Thundercliff, the endemic dragon moray, grey reef and silvertip sharks, spinner dolphins and, from November to January, whale sharks that arrive to feed on red crab spawn.

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YouDive turtle in an illustrated External Territories setting; not a photograph of Christmas Island

Custom YouDive mascot art inspired by External Territories. An imaginative illustration, not a photograph or map of this destination.

Your bearings, in a minute

Christmas Island at a glance

Start with the local site mix, explore the map and find people to ask about your trip.

Explore
42 site records
Recorded settings
Reef · Wall · Cave/Cavern
Map coverage
42 locations to explore
Plan with local help
Meet the listed operators

Directory counts describe published records, not bookable trips. Location confidence is shown separately in the map list. How we check information →

Sources, authorship and review status

Prepared by YouDive editorial with AI assistance. No firsthand visit, equipment test or instructor review is implied.

Independent specialist review: pending. We publish a reviewer’s name, qualifications, date and exact review scope only after the review has actually happened.

Who can contribute and how reviews work →

Find your bearings

Explore Christmas Island on the map

Compare where the recorded sites sit, then open a site to read its access and source notes. Locations are for orientation, not marine navigation or entry instructions.

42 matching records · 42 with a map location · 0 without a usable position.

The local notebook

Where should you start in Christmas Island?

Use the actual places attached to the local records to narrow your research. These are recorded nearby towns and areas, not verified departure points or accommodation recommendations.

Different outings to look into

Details drawn from individual published site records
Local exampleRecorded nearby placeRecorded accessFollow the evidence
Boat CaveFlying Fish Cove (The Settlement)BoatRecorded source ↗
Coconut PointFlying Fish Cove (The Settlement)BoatRecorded source ↗
The SandpatchFlying Fish Cove (The Settlement)ShoreRecorded source ↗
Lynnie's BommieFlying Fish Cove (The Settlement)BoatRecorded source ↗
How to use this shortlist

Choose the named outing that interests you first. Compare its recorded place and access with your accommodation plans, then obtain the actual meeting address and schedule from the provider. The site links show the underlying depth, location confidence and source notes. Similar town names or map positions do not establish that two outings can be combined in a day.

A closer look at Christmas Island

Get a feel for the diving

Our Christmas Island directory currently includes 42 published site records. The largest recorded category is reef (13 records). Use the mix below to decide what you would like to read about first.

The YouDive turtle introducing this destination’s guide

Christmas Island: what’s in the directory?

A visual guide to recorded site types. Counts show coverage, not popularity or current availability.

Reef13 records
Wall9 records
Cave/Cavern8 records
Shore/Rock Platform5 records
Drift3 records
Other recorded types4 records

Source: published YouDive directory records for Christmas Island. Bars use the same scale within this graphic; the longest is the largest category, not 100% of the destination.

A few local records to compare

Start with Boat Cave, Coconut Point, The Sandpatch. These are examples from different recorded categories, not a recommended route or a list of the best sites. Open each record for its sources, map and review notes.

One alphabetical example per recorded type, up to four types
SiteRecorded typeAccessDepth
Boat CaveCave/CavernBoat4–16 m
Coconut PointDriftBoat6–16 m
The SandpatchMuck/SandShore3–18 m
Lynnie's Bommie

Details need confirmation

Pinnacle/BommieBoat8–25 m

How the recorded depths compare

A dot shows a recorded maximum. A line joins the recorded minimum and maximum when both are available. These are site descriptions, not target depths or certification limits.

Boat Cave4–16 m

The table above contains the same depth values. Depth alone cannot establish suitability, and records may require correction. Source: the linked site records.

Give an island diving trip a little more planning room

The external-territory collection groups separate island destinations for browsing. Choose the actual island first, then research its transport, accommodation and diving as one connected itinerary.

Plan for the island you mean

A listing under External Territories does not describe a single travel region. Keep each island’s itinerary separate and confirm the current transport options with the relevant suppliers. Ask the dive provider which arrival dates and local transfers fit the proposed activity. Decide what needs booking together and what is a separate purchase before comparing package prices.

Check support before deciding what to bring

Describe the equipment, training and services you need for the intended outing. Ask what is available locally and what must be arranged in advance. Use the actual airline or transport provider’s baggage information for your route. Do not assume that a service available on one island is also available on another simply because both appear in this directory collection.

Give the itinerary room to change

Write down who to contact if transport or diving changes, and read the relevant booking terms before paying. Consider how an altered arrival affects accommodation, hire reservations and the first planned activity. Keep medical, travel and insurance questions with the appropriate professionals and suppliers. A tidy list of confirmed arrangements is more useful than an ambitious list of unconfirmed dives.

Three conversations worth having before you book

Island choice

Which exact island and arrival route are we planning?

Keep separate destinations as separate itineraries.

Equipment support

What can be reserved locally?

Confirm specific items and services.

Travel changes

What happens to dependent bookings?

Save contacts and written terms.

From “that looks lovely” to a plan

Make Christmas Island your kind of dive trip

Find your starting point, meet the local options and keep your ideas together. You do not need to have the whole trip worked out yet.

Where are you on your diving journey?

These are learning paths to explore, not prerequisites for every local site. Confirm the actual course, instructor and your readiness with the provider.

People to talk to about Christmas Island

These profiles are based in the region or have a sourced link to one of its sites. Shown alphabetically, not as a quality ranking. Ask about the specific trip or course you want.

Compare these local operators →

Browse all operator profiles in this state or territory →

Let’s put the pieces together

Start with the place and your questions. Add dates and prices once you have spoken with the people running the trip.

Open my trips

Creates a new trip with this destination, useful reading and starter questions. Saved on this browser; export a backup from My trips.

THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF

Understand the options around Christmas Island

Resolve island logistics before selecting individual sites

Build a Christmas Island trip around confirmed transport, accommodation and a local operator’s current programme. Ask about equipment availability and baggage arrangements before deciding how much personal kit to carry. Treat the regional map as an orientation tool and discuss actual departures with the provider. An island stay benefits from a clear plan for delayed connections and activities that do not depend on a particular dive taking place.

One useful question: Which bookings depend on the arrival connection, and what are the agreed alternatives if it changes?

What this regional directory records

There are 42 published site records in Christmas Island. The recorded categories include reef (13), wall (9), cave/cavern (8), shore/rock platform (5). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.

Use the Christmas Island site cards to compare recorded access and depth, then open the individual pages for the map accuracy and source notes. Sites grouped in a region are not necessarily close enough to combine in one day.

Research operators in External Territories →

Ask before booking

  1. Which territory and jurisdiction does this itinerary visit?
  2. What park or access permissions apply to the exact location?
  3. What is the contingency if transport changes?

Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.

Record your trip questions →

Questions, answered

How do I choose a dive in Christmas Island?

Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 42 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 Christmas Island 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: Parks Australia — Australian Marine Parks ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.

Dive sites in this region

Find local operators
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteDrift

Christmas Island

Coconut Point

The island's classic drift: swirling currents, eel gardens, gorgonians and a chance of hammerheads, ten minutes from the jetty.

BoatUp to 16 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWreck

Christmas Island

Eidsvold Wreck

WWII history in 5–18 m: the broken-up Norwegian freighter Eidsvold, torpedoed in Flying Fish Cove in 1942, now overgrown with…

Shore or BoatUp to 18 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteShore/Rock Platform

Christmas Island

Flying Fish Cove

Arguably Australia's best shore dive: a pristine coral slope and wall 50 m from the car park, endemic and hybrid reef fish, and…

ShoreUp to 25 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the sitePinnacle/Bommie

Christmas Island

Million Dollar Bommie

A solitary coral bommie rising from sand, with a dense garden eel colony and outstanding photography on the summit.

BoatUp to 26 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Perpendicular Wall

A true vertical wall into the abyss at the island's north-western tip, with colourful fans, schooling fish and a real chance of…

BoatUp to 40 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Rhoda Wall

Coral slope, sheer wall and a quarry-like ramp, with schooling grey reef sharks and some of the island's closest whale shark…

BoatUp to 36 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

The Morgue

A macro-rich slope with giant Acropora and feather stars, ribbon eels and Spanish dancers – the island's favourite boat night…

BoatUp to 25 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Christmas Island

Thundercliff Cave

Swim into the cliff and surface inside air-filled chambers decorated with stalactites – reef, wall and cave in one dive.

BoatUp to 22 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

West White Beach

Shallow coral reef with anemone fields off a remote rainforest beach, where whale sharks and dolphins are regular visitors.

Shore or BoatUp to 15 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Christmas Island

West White Beach Cave

A huge, bright sea cavern with twin entrances and a pillar, its roof and walls a riot of colour.

BoatUp to 28 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Admin Wall

A sheer, effectively bottomless wall reached from the beach, with trevally, reef sharks and seasonal whale sharks.

Shore or BoatUp to 30 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Christmas Island

Boat Cave

A sea cave big enough to park the boat in, with a floor carpeted in plate corals and colourful whips on the walls.

BoatUp to 16 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Chicken Farm

A vertical north-coast wall with exceptionally large gorgonian fans below 33 m.

BoatUp to 40 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Christmas Island

Daniel Roux Cave

A sea cave that connects to one of the island's best-known land caves, with an anchialine pool and swiftlet colony above.

BoatUp to 22 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Egeria Point

Rated one of the island's best shark dives, with open-ocean pelagics and 40 m+ visibility at the south-west corner of the west…

BoatUp to 22 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

Ethel Beach

A colourful sloping reef off one of Australia's best beaches – the island's wet-season shore dive and a red crab spawning site.

Shore or BoatUp to 14 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

Fuel Buoys

Healthy coral reef beneath the Navy refuelling buoys, with a surreal straight trench carved by the giant mooring chain.

BoatUp to 24 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteDrift

Christmas Island

Leanne's Leap

An easy one-way drift from drop-off into a lush coral garden, often linked with Submarine Rock.

BoatUp to 25 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Christmas Island

Lost Lake Cave

Entrance zone of one of Christmas Island's largest submarine cave systems, with overhangs, gullies and light shafts.

BoatUp to 25 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Lost Lake East

Typical north-coast reef and wall with dense fish life, next to the Lost Lake caves.

BoatUp to 30 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

North West Point

Sandy reef ledges with sleeping reef sharks and dense schools – the gentler companion dive to Perpendicular Wall.

BoatUp to 14 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

Pig Rock

Towering gorgonian fans on dramatic west-coast reef structures – a wide-angle photographer's site.

BoatUp to 22 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Christmas Island

Resort Lagoon / Waterfall Bay

Scenic ledges, boulders and a drop-off on the east coast – a wet-season refuge when the north coast is blown out.

BoatUp to 20 m
EXTYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteWall

Christmas Island

Submarine Rock

A submarine-shaped reef and 50 m drop-off with healthy boulder corals and passing mantas, eagle rays and grey reef sharks.

BoatUp to 30 m