Over the 2 years of Covid-induced border closures, Australians found that diving in their very own yard is fairly darn good. Now that borders have opened, it’s time to share our greatest secrets and techniques with the remainder of the world. Right here’s a few of Australia’s finest native diving, state by state.
Queensland
Ribbon Reefs and the Coral Sea
Cod Gap is well-known for the massive cod that frequent the location (Credit score Deborah Dickson-Smith)
Pixie Pinnacle lives as much as its charming title (Credit score Deborah Dickson-Smith)
There’s by no means been a greater time to dive the pristine, rarely-visited dive websites of the Ribbon Reefs and the Coral Sea — you’ll be sharing them with a really small group of divers. Each Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and Spirit of Freedom dive liveaboards have three-, four- and seven-day itineraries departing each week to the Ribbon Reefs, Coral Sea, Osprey Reef (Shark Metropolis), in addition to Holmes and Bougainville Reefs.
Annually there are additionally quite a few exploratory expeditions, visiting Horne Island and the far northern reaches of the Nice Barrier Reef, and diving the unbelievable Yongala wreck — however these journeys ebook out months (typically years) prematurely so it is advisable to plan forward.
Cairns Outer Reef by liveaboard
Professional Dive Cairns and Divers Den run versatile itineraries to the Outer Reef every week. Select from one-, two-, three- and four-night journeys diving quite a lot of reefs together with Saxon, Norman and Hastings Reefs. The journeys embrace 4 to 5 dives per day, together with thrilling night time dives with reef sharks. You’ll encounter a large range of marine life together with big clams, turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, an unbelievable number of tropical fish, spectacular coral formations and constant underwater visibility.
Minke Whale Magic
Throughout June and July every year, dwarf minke whales go to the northern Ribbon Reefs to breed and now Mike Ball, Spirit of Freedom, Divers Den and Professional Dive all provide three- to four-day liveaboard journeys for an in-water encounter with these pleasant and inquisitive cetaceans. This a passive encounter, wherein 26-foot (8 m) baleen whales method snorkelers, for a very magical expertise. That is the one place on this planet you may expertise an encounter like this.
Townsville and Magnetic Island
Lately the beautiful central Nice Barrier Reef has performed second fiddle to the reefs out from Cairns and Port Douglas, however there are two nice causes to rediscover lovely reefs corresponding to John Brewer and Lodestone: the 100-year-old wreck of the Yongala and world-famous sculptor Jason deCaire’s underwater set up; the Museum of Underwater Artwork (MOUA). Dive it by liveaboard with Adrenalin Dive, based mostly in Ayr with Yongala Dive, or base your self on lovely Magnetic Island.
Heron Island
Heron Island is within the Southern Nice Barrier Reef, and also you attain it by way of helicopter or ferry from Gladstone, Queensland. Heron Island is most well-known for its spectacular coral reef and as a sanctuary for all kinds of marine life. Lodging ranges from rooms set amongst a leafy forest, to beachside rooms with rapid entry to crystal-clear waters teeming with nesting turtles, reef fish, turtles, rays, reef sharks, and extra. The 20 close by dive websites are simply accessible by boat inside minutes of the jetty.
Woman Elliot Island
Woman Elliot Island is a kind of uncommon gems that exist by the serendipitous mixture of location and human intervention. Location is vital because the island is simply 6 miles (10 km) from the sting of the continental shelf and the East Australian Present. This interprets to frequent pelagic motion corresponding to manta rays, migrating whales and nesting grounds for inexperienced and loggerhead turtles. And human intervention? Woman Elliot Island sits inside the Inexperienced (no take) Zone of the Nice Barrier Reef Marine Park, which is why the corals are in excellent situation and over 1,000 marine species could be discovered within the waters across the island.
New South Wales
Lord Howe Island
Think about you needed to design the proper place for an adventurous scuba diver to flee to for every week’s diving trip. You’d in all probability go for an island, possibly the place tropical, sub-tropical and temperate ocean currents converge, a pleasant lengthy reef round a lagoon, so you can dive and snorkel contained in the lagoon, and discover extra adventurous stuff exterior within the gullies and arches. Then you definately’d in all probability give the island some sharp drop-offs, and possibly add a number of small islands round to create quite a lot of dive websites. You would not design a extra magnificent setting for those who tried. The island has restricted capability, so is booked up rapidly (particularly now) with many divers returning yearly
Plus! Ever considered changing into a PADI licensed Exploratory Diver? Lord Howe Island is the one place you are able to do this.
Julian Rocks
Among the many common species discovered year-round at Julian Rocks, a 10-15 minute boat experience from Byron Bay, are wobbegong sharks, eagle rays, cuttlefish, king fish, trevally, mulloway, and three totally different species of sea turtle: loggerhead, inexperienced, and hawksbill. There’s an abundance of arduous and gentle coral as nicely. You may as well see manta rays, grey nurse sharks, and leopard (additionally referred to as zebra) sharks at numerous instances all year long.
Nelson Bay
Whether or not you’re within the huge stuff or teeny, tiny macro delights, you’ll discover them right here in Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, which has lengthy been a preferred NSW seaside retreat. Some locals will inform you that for those who haven’t dived North Rock or Trying Glass (suppose massive faculties of grey nurse sharks), you don’t need to name your self an actual diver. Others go for Fly Level or Pipeline, which function nudibranchs, seahorses, and all kinds of macro wonders.
Jervis Bay
Weedy sea dragons are a spotlight of Jervis Bay (Credit score Dive Jervis Bay)
A resting wobbegong shark (Credit score Dive Jervis Bay)
Weedies, whales and the world’s whitest sand—Jervis Bay is three hours’ drive south of Sydney, and it’s already Insta-famous for having the world’s whitest sand at Hyams Seaside. And the underwater world within the bay itself is fairly particular as nicely. With over 60 dive websites, divers can anticipate to see weedy sea dragons, wobbegongs, grey nurse sharks, Port Jackson sharks, lovely sponge gardens and probably humpback whales, relying on the season.
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour diving alternatives embrace the marine reserves of the Solitary Islands; South Solitary Island particularly. There, amongst boulders, partitions and gutters, you will notice something from mantas to handfish, and every part in between. At close by Break up Solitary, amongst coral and kelp, you will notice many species of resident fish, in addition to eels, turtles and grey nurse sharks. In season (Could to September) you may as well swim with migrating humpback whales.
Western Australia
Whale Sharks and Whales at Ningaloo Reef
Potato cod at Ningaloo Reef (Credit score Dive Ningaloo)
Snorkeler with a whale shark within the Ningaloo Marine Park
Swim with whale sharks and humpback whales and dive Ningaloo Reef with Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks. The Coral Coast’s Ningaloo Reef is a pristine aquatic wonderland that’s residence to an abundance of marine life, together with dolphins, manta rays, turtles, humpback whales and, after all, the whale sharks. Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks are whale shark tour pioneers, with the expertise, data and repute that can make sure that your day will likely be unforgettable.
Exmouth Navy Pier
Diving Navy Pier (Credit score Dive Ningaloo)
Diving Navy Pier (Credit score Dive Ningaloo)
Additionally based mostly at Exmouth, Dive Ningaloo is the one dive heart with entry to world-famous dive web site Exmouth Navy Pier, voted as one of many high 10 dive websites in Australia and one of many high shore dives on this planet.
Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals are a sequence of three spectacular, pristine coral atolls that stand up from the ocean flooring 1,300 toes (400 m) beneath on the very fringe of Australia’s continental shelf, creating one of the vital distant dive places in Australia. Diving Rowley Shoals is seasonal, with journeys solely accessible round October every year. Dive among the many big clams, shellfish, big potato cod and Maori wrasse. Trevally, mackerel, and tuna hover in massive faculties round you, and you’ll uncover over 200 species of coral and over 650 species of fish. Visibility in extra of 200 toes (60 m) is widespread.
Christmas Island
Dive Christmas Island, Australia’s personal Galapagos within the Indian Ocean, with pristine coral reefs and loads of pelagic motion, together with faculties of silky sharks, mantas, eagle rays and whale sharks. Being so distant, you’ll be diving with small teams, with reefs, forests of monumental gorgonian followers, and loads of sea caverns to discover. Plus, throughout floor intervals, swim with spinner dolphins.
Cocos Keeling Island
Dive Cocos Keeling Island—a little bit jewel within the Indian Ocean, with pristine coral reefs and mantas, eagle rays, education reef sharks, pods of dolphins, a resident pleasant dugong referred to as Kat — and (formally) Australia’s most lovely seashore at Route Island — can be residence to one of many world’s finest drift snorkels.
South Australia
Neptune Islands
To see an amazing white shark within the wild is totally grand and uncommon, however to return head to head with one underwater is likely one of the most fun experiences accessible to divers as we speak. Come and ‘hunt with cameras’ the world’s best-known and most-feared shark with the world’s finest: Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions. On a four-day liveaboard journey additionally, you will encounter New Zealand fur seals and an abundance of chook life, dolphins and different distinctive fish and wildlife.
Fleurieu Peninsula
The gorgeous Fleurieu Peninsula is residence to one of many world’s most unusual species of marine life, the leafy seadragon. These beautiful creatures are discovered nowhere else on this planet besides the Nice Southern Reef of Australia.
Whyalla
Every winter, tens of hundreds of Australian big cuttlefish collect to mate and spawn. This mass occasion occurs nowhere else on this planet. These cuttlefish are endemic to South Australia and have a really quick life cycle of two years, which suggests the necessity to mate in such massive numbers to make sure the success of generations to return.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is a nature lover’s dream. With massive, resident pods of bottlenose dolphins, it’s the excellent location to immerse your self with these playful mammals. Shore diving at Kingscote Jetty will even reveal a wide selection of macro wonders, from blennies and angler fish to the odd leafy sea dragon.
