From diving in tropical Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef organism on Earth, to discovering the Ningaloo Reef and Rottnest Island famous for diving with the magnificent whale sharks. Explore the vast and unique marine life from tropical waters with schools of clown fish and giant turtles to the temperate waters off the South Coast and Tasmania with its miles of kelp forests, whales, seals and fairy penguins.

The diverse range of scuba diving sites in Australia make it accessible to all with PADI or SSI open water diving courses for beginners, deep sea, cave and wreck dives for the advanced diver and cage diving with Great White Sharks for the thrill seeker.

Diving in Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland offers some great places to learn to dive with protected, shallow spots full of fish life and corals.
The Whitsunday Islands are situated at the very heart of the Great Barrier Reef and boasts calm, clear waters and Manta Rays found at the southern end of Bait Reef. Lady Elliot Island and Heron Island in Southern Queensland, have over 30 dive sites within 15 minutes boat ride from shore and areas where you can step off the beach and swim to the reef. A favourite diving spot on Lizard Island in Northern Queensland is the Cod Hole where the friendly giant potato cods and the Maori Wrasse are often found.
The deeper sites on the outer reefs are ideal for those with some experience including liveaboard dive trips to stay for more than one night on the Ribbon Reefs in the Coral Sea. Diving here gives great visibility and the opportunity to view different species of sharks including Grey Whalers, White Tips, Silver Tip Whalers, and Hammerheads in July.

Cairns is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and offers divers a huge area to explore, including the opportunity to view the amazing Dwarf Minke Whale from June to August on the northern reefs. Cairns is a hugely popular dive destination, and scuba divers can take a day trip to the reef on an organised tour, or a longer overnight trip which will take in more of the sights. All diving equipment is usually provided, and you will have to prove you are a certified diver. For non-certified divers, Great Barrier Reef dive trips can also arrange for snorkeling so you still get to experience the wonder of the reef.

Diving in Western Australia

Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is a popular dive destination and one of the few places to see the magnificent Whale Sharks as well as Manta Rays, Dugongs and Humpback Whales. Ningaloo Reef meets the beach at North West Cape where you can walk straight off the beach and swim to the coral reef without stepping foot on a boat.

The nearby Abrolhos Islands, 50km west of Geraldton, are the ideal destination for the experienced open water and wreck diver with its spectacular coral reef formations. Known as the ‘Islands of Angry Ghosts’ from the early explorers whose many ships were wrecked here, Abrolhos is Portuguese meaning ‘to keep your eyes open’ named for the once dangerous waters. Further South in the Margaret River region you can scuba dive in the protected waters of Geographe Bay off Dunsborough. Here the HMAS Swan was intentionally sunk for divers and is the largest accessible dive wreck in the Southern Hemisphere.

Diving in NSW

On the East Coast, Byron Bay boasts an array of tropical marine life at Julian Rocks Marine Reserve with its Grey Nurse Sharks, turtles and amazing swim through rock formations.
Fish Rock Cave is arguably Australia's best ocean cave dive, and voted among the top 10 dive sites in Australia, Fish Rock is located just over 2km off Smoky Cape at South West Rocks on the NSW Mid North Coast. Here the waters are always clear and Grey Nurse Sharks rest in the shallow entrance of the cave, which is a fantastic diving moment for even the most experienced diver. There is even a bubble cave where you can talk to your dive partner while being 5 metres underwater.
Enjoy world renowned diving in the pristine waters of the Jervis Bay Marine Park.

Explore walls, slot caves, swimthroughs & stunning rock formations that create an exciting environment and is home to a variety of marine life.

Diving in South Australia

For the advanced cave diver the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier is a challenging scuba dive location with a series of sinkholes and limestone formations to explore. February through to May is the best time to dive, although December to February is the only time that the sun shines directly down into The Shaft, creating the "shaft of light". Touching the silt bottom of any cave will result in immediate zero visibility.

Those who like an adventure can also experience the adrenalin rush of shark cage diving at The Neptune Islands renowned for its Great White Sharks and situated just off Port Lincoln in South Australia.

Diving Season

Australia as a whole is a year round dive destination with late August to early December usually offering the best conditions and visibility.

Coral Sea at Osprey Reef and North Horn, visibility peaks during June and September. October to June is the best time to dive at Rottnest Island which is only 11 kms from Perth.

Open Water Dive courses

The 2 most popular types of Open Water dive courses available in Australia are PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International).
The PADI open water diver course is a standard course for beginners who wish to explore more diverse dive sites. Learning to dive is popular on the Great Barrier Reef with a range of PADI courses offered at Cairns.
PADI Open Water Diver courses are available over 4-6 days depending on the amount of diving you are planning to do after being certified. Some courses will incorporate the PADI Advanced Course if you are planning on doing a lot of diving and wanting to visit more remote dive sites.
SSI is one of the largest training organisations, recognised throughout the world and will teach you everything you need to know from skills to equipment for your dive. SSI will widen your choice in dive sites in Australia and internationally.