Australia is home to spectacular reefs that make for great scuba diving – and we’re not just talking about the Great Barrier Reef.
No matter which state or territory you live in, you can find a diving holiday that’s filled with underwater marvels.
These are the best places to scuba dive around Australia, compiled by the experts at Diveplanit Travel.
New South Wales
Jervis Bay
Weedies, whales and the world’s whitest sand. Jervis Bay, three hours south of Sydne is already Insta-famous for having the world’s whitest sand (at Hyams Beach). But pop your head underwater and you’ll find an incredible array of life.
Jervis Bay has more than 60 dive sites. Divers can expect to see weedy sea dragons, wobbegongs, grey nurse sharks, Port Jackson sharks, beautiful sponge gardens and, in season, swim with humpback whales.
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is absolute heaven for an adventurous scuba diving holiday.
Close to shore, divers can explore a long reef that surrounds a lagoon. If you venture further you’ll find fascinating gullies and arches. Lord Howe Island also has some sharp drop-offs and you can visit small islands close by for a variety of dive sites. Plus, Lord Howe Island is the only place you can become a PADI certified Exploratory Driver.
Julian Rocks
Julian Rock, a 10-minute boat ride from Byron Bay, is home to wobbegong sharks, eagle rays, cuttlefish, kingfish, trevally, mulloway. It also has three different species of sea turtle – loggerhead, green and hawksbill.
Divers can examine an abundance of hard and soft coral and the occasional manta rays, grey nurse sharks, and leopard (also called zebra) sharks.
Nelson Bay
Whether you’re interested in the big stuff, or teeny-tiny macro delights, you’ll find it in Nelson Bay, Port Stephens. The popular NSW seaside retreat is about 4 hours north of Sydney.
Locals say if you haven’t dived North Rock or Looking Glass (think large schools of grey nurse sharks), you don’t deserve to call yourself a real diver. Conversely, others might say: ‘If you haven’t done Fly Point or Pipeline then likewise!’ (home to nudibranchs, seahorses and all sorts of macro wonders).
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is home to the marine reserves of the Solitary Islands and South Solitary Island. Among boulders, walls and gutters, you will see manta rays, handfish, and everything in between. Nearby Split Solitary is filled with coral and kelp and you can watch eels, turtles and grey nurse sharks swim past.
In season (May to September) you can also swim with migrating humpback whales.
Queensland
Cairns
Venture to the Outer Reef on a three-day liveaboard trip run by Pro Dive Cairns.
During this trip, you’ll have the chance to dive up to 11 times at a variety of 19 dive sites over four reefs: Flynn, Thetford, Milln and Pellowe Reefs. Witness the diversity of marine life and look out for giant clams, turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, an incredible variety of tropical fish and impressive coral formations, all the while, enjoying consistent underwater visibility.
Ribbon Reefs and the Coral Sea
There’s never been a better time to dive the pristine, rarely-visited dive sites of the Ribbon Reefs and the Coral Sea as you’ll be sharing them with a small group of divers.
For a guided dive experience, Mike Ball Dive Expeditions has just announced four brand new Great Barrier Reef itineraries to the Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole, and in the Coral Sea, Osprey (shark city) and Bougainville Reefs.
Townsville and Magnetic Island
The stunning Central Great Barrier Reef often plays second fiddle to the reefs near Cairns and Port Douglas. But divers really should rediscover this region which includes the beautiful John Brewer and Lodestone reefs. Townsville also has the 100-year old wreck of the Yongala and a new underwater installation by world-famous sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor; Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA).
Heron Island
Heron Island, in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, is famous for its spectacular coral reef and a wide variety of marine life. The coral cay has one resort and a marine research station tucked inside a leafy forest. Beachside rooms have immediate water access. Step off the beach and you will find a reef teeming with nesting turtles, reef fish, rays, reef sharks and more. Divers can access 20 sites within minutes of the jetty.
Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot Island is one of those rare gems that exist through the serendipitous combination of location and human intervention.
The island is 10 km from the edge of the continental shelf and the East Australian Current. This means there is frequent pelagic action such as manta rays, migrating whales and nesting grounds for green and loggerhead turtles. And human intervention? Lady Elliot Island sits within the Green (no-take) Zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which is why the corals are in perfect condition and over 1,000 marine species can be found in the waters around the island.
Lady Musgrave Island
Like Lady Elliot, Lady Musgrave sits close to the continental shelf, so attracts impressive pelagic action including leopard sharks, reef sharks, turtles, all sorts of rays including mantas and the occasional migrating humpback whale.
It is also where you can find the ex-HMAS Tobruk dive wreck which was only scuttled a couple of years ago but has already attracted large schools of Jacks, barracuda, batfish, a couple of resident turtles and Queensland gropers.
Western Australia
Ningaloo Reef
The Coral Coast’s Ningaloo Reef is a pristine aquatic wonderland home to an abundance of marine life including dolphins, manta rays, turtles, humpback whales and of course the whale sharks.
If you fancy swimming beside these underwater giants, Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks are whale shark tour pioneers, with the experience, knowledge and reputation that will ensure that your day will be an ‘experience of a lifetime’.
Exmouth Navy Pier
Exmouth Navy Pier was voted as one of the top 10 dive sites in Australia, and one of the top shore dives in the world.
Dive Ningaloo is the only dive centre with access to the world-famous dive site and they specialise in small groups, personal service and adventure diving in the best, remote and beautiful places, travelling to remote Muiron Islands and untouched reef.
Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals is a chain of three spectacular pristine coral atolls which rise up from the ocean floor 400m below on the edge of Australia’s continental shelf. Diving Rowley Shoals is seasonal. Dive trips generally run in October each year.
This incredible dive site has giant clams, shellfish, giant potato cod and Maori wrasse. You can see trevally, mackerel and tuna in large schools, more than 200 species of coral and 650 species of fish. Visibility in excess of 60 metres is common.
Christmas Island
Dive Christmas Island, Australia’s own Galapagos in the Indian Ocean. This Australian dive site has pristine coral reefs and plenty of pelagic action including schools of silky sharks, mantas, eagle rays and whale sharks.
Christmas Island is remote so you’ll be diving with small groups. Expect pristine reefs, forests of enormous gorgonian fans and plenty of sea caverns to explore. Plus, during surface intervals, swim with spinner dolphins.
Cocos Keeling Island
Dive Cocos Keeling Island is a little jewel in the Indian Ocean, with pristine coral reefs and mantas, eagle rays, schooling reef sharks, pods of dolphins, a resident-friendly dugong called Kat. Plus, (officially) Australia’s most beautiful beach at Direction Island – also home to one of the world’s best drift snorkels.
South Australia
Neptune Islands
To see a great white shark in the wild is absolutely grand and rare, but to come face to face with one underwater is one of the most exciting experiences available to divers today! Come and ‘hunt with cameras’ the world’s best known and most feared shark with world-renowned Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions. On a four-day liveaboard trip, you can also encounter New Zealand fur seals and an abundance of birdlife, dolphins and other unique fish and wildlife.
Fleurieu Peninsula
The beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula is home to one of the world’s most unique species of marine life, the leafy sea dragon. These stunning creatures are found nowhere else in the world except the Great Southern Reef of Australia.
Whyalla
Each winter, tens of thousands of Australian giant cuttlefish gather to mate and spawn. This mass event happens nowhere else in the world. These cuttlefish are endemic to South Australia and have a very short life cycle of two years. That means they need to mate in large numbers to ensure the success of generations to come.
A great way to see both leafy sea dragons and giant cuttlefish, and learn how to photograph them, is on a tour with award-winning photographer Scott Portelli.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is a nature lovers dream. With large, resident pods of bottlenose dolphins, it is the ideal location to immerse yourself with these playful mammals.
According to underwater photographer Rosie Leany: “Getting buzzed by a pod of highly intelligent mammals who are just as curious about you, is an amazing feeling.” Shore diving at Kingscote Jetty will also reveal a wide array of macro wonders, from blennies and angler fish to the odd leafy sea dragon. Scott Portelli is also running photography tours here early next year.
Feature image: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef diving © Tourism and Events Queensland
Find out more: Diveplanit Travel
