Western Australia – Ningaloo, Rottnest & the south-west

Western Australia spans two very different diving worlds. In the north-west the Ningaloo Reef, a 260 km fringing coral reef inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2011, is a tropical dive area around Exmouth, the Muiron Islands and Coral Bay, where whale sharks feed from March to August and manta rays are reported year-round at Coral Bay. In the south-west the water is temperate: Perth and Rottnest Island have shallow historic wrecks protected by the Historic Shipwrecks Act, the south-west has the scuttled destroyer HMAS Swan and Busselton Jetty in Geographe Bay, and deep wrecks such as the Key Biscayne rig off Lancelin and the Sanko Harvest off Esperance. The two halves are well over 1,000 km apart, so plan them as separate trips.

Facts

• Climate zones: Ningaloo (Exmouth, Coral Bay): tropical coral reef. Perth, Rottnest, Geographe Bay, Esperance: temperate
• Ningaloo Reef: About 260 km long, Australia's largest fringing coral reef; World Heritage site since 2011 (705,015 ha). Whale sharks March–August
• Water temperature (Perth area): About 19 °C in winter to 24 °C in summer; Rottnest is a few degrees warmer than the mainland. Ningaloo is warmer but no figure was found
• Navy Pier access: Defence Restricted Area: only on a licensed tour, slack tide only, photo ID and entry fee
• Historic wrecks: Rottnest wrecks and Key Biscayne are protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976: look, never touch or take
• Not included: Abrolhos, Ningaloo shore sites (Turquoise Bay etc.) and the Rottnest reef sites (10 Metre Spire, North Point, Jack's Patch) are not listed: no published coordinates were found

Season

• Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
• Acceptable: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
• Water temperature: 19–24 °C

Dec–Apr: summer, calmer south-west diving (Busselton jetty tours also run mainly then). Ningaloo: whale shark season Mar–Aug; mantas reported year-round at Coral Bay. Perth winter water is about 19 °C.

Dive sites (14)

Geographe Bay (Busselton & Dunsborough) – temperate

• Busselton Jetty & Underwater Observatory – 3–9 m, beginner
• HMAS Swan (ex-navy destroyer, permit for private boats) – 5–32 m, advanced

Rottnest Island (Perth) – temperate

• City of York wreck, Rottnest (protected) – 3–7 m, intermediate
• Denton Holme wreck, Rottnest (protected) – 3–6 m, beginner
• Lady Elizabeth wreck, Rottnest (protected) – 3–10 m, beginner
• Mira Flores wreck, Rottnest (protected) – 10–13 m, intermediate
• SS Macedon wreck, Rottnest (protected) – 3–6 m, beginner

Ningaloo – Coral Bay (tropical)

• Coral Bay – Ningaloo Reef (Bills Bay reef) – beginner

Ningaloo – Exmouth & Muiron Islands (tropical)

• Exmouth Navy Pier (licensed tours only) – 0–14 m, intermediate
• Lighthouse Bay – Blizzard Ridge (sanctuary zone) – 12–15 m, beginner
• Muiron Islands (Ningaloo Marine Park) – intermediate

Perth coast & Lancelin – temperate

• Key Biscayne rig wreck, Lancelin (deep, protected) – 26–42 m, advanced
• Omeo shipwreck, Coogee (protected, Coogee Maritime Trail) – 2–7 m, beginner

Esperance & Recherche Archipelago – temperate

• Sanko Harvest wreck, Esperance (500 m no-take zone) – 13–40 m, advanced

Operators (5)

• Dive Ningaloo – dive centre, Exmouth, Western Australia
• Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim (dive & snorkel tours) – dive centre, Exmouth, Western Australia
• Ningaloo Reef Dive – dive centre, Coral Bay Arcade, 8/46 Robinson St, Coral Bay, Western Australia
• Swan Dive – dive centre, Busselton Foreshore, Geographe Bay Road, Busselton
• Perth Scuba – dive centre, Unit 4 / 180 Bannister Road, Canning Vale, Perth

Positions are from Wikipedia, the WA Museum/heritage records and operator pages; where marked 'approximate' they are estimates for orientation only – never for navigation. Several wrecks are protected historic sites and the Ningaloo Marine Park has sanctuary zones: check current rules before diving.