External Territories
Diving in Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos is a true coral atoll 2,750 km north-west of Perth, with 27 islands around a shallow turquoise lagoon and an outer reef that drops to deep water. Manta rays feed in the channels, green turtles are everywhere, dolphins visit the boats, and the outer walls hold grey reef sharks, tuna and huge schools of fusiliers. Two sites, the Cabbage Patch and the Rip, are among the best drift dives in the Indian Ocean.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Cocos (Keeling) Islands
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 36 published site records in Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The recorded categories include reef (13), wall (7), shore/rock platform (5), wreck (4). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Cocos (Keeling) Islands 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
- Which territory and jurisdiction does this itinerary visit?
- What park or access permissions apply to the exact location?
- 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 Cocos (Keeling) Islands?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 36 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 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 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
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Broccoli Patch
Easy shallow coral garden to 10 m with a sandy floor – a perfect buoyancy-practice and snorkel site, often with turtles and…
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Cabbage Patch
A hillside of golden cabbage coral 6–20 m across, glowing in sunlight and swarming with thousands of anthias and chromis; garden…
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Cannons
Old cannons among Porites corals on sand, with garden eels and gobies – and a chance of dugong, dolphins and mantas.
Aircraft WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
Catalina JX435 Wreck
Engines, propellers and a 600 m debris trail from a RAF Catalina that crashed landing in June 1945 – a shallow dive and a war…
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Cologne Gardens
All-levels wall with a blooming coral reef top and big orange gorgonians deeper; snapper schools at full moon and bumphead…
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Garden of Eden
A forest of gorgonian sea fans rising like trees from 20–28 m, with schools of big-eye trevally – dived only when the wind drops…
WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
Phaeton Wreck
An 1868 composite barque burnt and run aground in 1889, its iron-framed bow and midships still upright in 4 m – snorkel through…
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Rose Wall
A continuous sheet of rose-coloured hard coral covering the wall from about 16 m to 35–40 m, right beside Cabbage Patch.
WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
SMS Emden wreck site
Propellers, shafts, engine parts and shells of the WWI raider SMS Emden, beached after the 1914 Battle of Cocos – one of the most…
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Ski Run
A sand chute from the reef edge down to a glassfish-covered bommie hunted by trevally, with whitetips and extra-long garden eels…
DriftCocos (Keeling) Islands
The Rip (Direction Island)
A fast, coral-lined drift channel from the ocean into the lagoon, full of sharks, humphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse, with a…
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Cable Bommie
Two large winches and lengths of cable believed to date from the Direction Island cable station, now overgrown with coral and…
Shore/Rock PlatformCocos (Keeling) Islands
Cossies Beach
Calm, shallow lagoon snorkelling off one of Australia's most celebrated beaches, right beside The Rip.
WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
Direction Island Unidentified Wreck
A 40 m keel and keelson line from an unidentified 19th-century North American ship – possibly the Gudden Barstow (1839) – in…
Pinnacle/BommieCocos (Keeling) Islands
Enterprise
A bommie on the drop-off where the incoming tide's upwelling brings grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna and big groupers in close.
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Fan Wall
A wall with glorious fans, black trevally, cruising sharks and dogtooth tuna, plus a cave at 40 m for deep-experienced divers.
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Lynnies Leap
Current-swept outer reef slope with many sharks and fusilier schools; reserved for experienced divers.
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Manta Service Station
A shallow manta cleaning station at about 9 m where Cocos' resident reef mantas come in to be cleaned, with excellent light for…
ReefCocos (Keeling) Islands
Prison Gardens
Plate corals, curious schools of big-eye trevally and coral-monitoring buoys on the sheltered eastern side of the atoll.
IslandCocos (Keeling) Islands
Prison Island
A tiny historic cay in the eastern lagoon surrounded by shallow nursery reefs full of juvenile fish.
Shore/Rock PlatformCocos (Keeling) Islands
Pulu Maraya
Walk across the reef flat from Scout Park and drift around a palm-covered islet with clams, turtles, octopus and baby blacktips.
WallCocos (Keeling) Islands
Spanish Eyes
Rarely dived south-eastern outer wall with sharks and barracuda, reached only on flat-calm days; the site's name recalls a yacht…
Shore/Rock PlatformCocos (Keeling) Islands
Trannies Beach
A calm, sheltered beach snorkel in a no-take National Park zone – ideal for children and beginners.
WreckCocos (Keeling) Islands
Two Caves Wreck
Broken-up remains of a Sri Lankan asylum-seeker boat – engines with a hull section beneath – on a reef with two caves.