Diving in Australia - Bluewater Dive Travel

Best Diving in Australia - Top 10

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(12 REVIEWS)
A leafy sea dragon underwater in Australia
A school of fish under a pier in Australia
A crab underwater in Australia
A minke whale underwater in Australia
Fish swim on a coral reef in Australia

Scuba diving in Australia, the Land Down Under

Scuba diving in Australia, especially liveaboard trips to the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea, offers tremendous volume and diversity of marine life, well managed marine parks, professional dive operations and diving suitable for all experience levels. There is great diving at every depth and a variety of marine life including sharks, minke whales, and large potato cod (potato grouper). In South Australia you can experience great white shark cage diving and there is some exceptional diving off jetties, where you can see the leafy sea dragon and giant cuttlefish. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Ningaloo Reef all offer their own unique animals and experience. Australia waters hands-down offer some of the best scuba diving in the world, and is worth many trips back.


Interested in diving in Australia?  View the live availability of some of the best liveaboards in Australia and book online at the best price or check out our sidebar for specials and land-based options.


AUSTRALIA'S BEST dive sites & DIVING DESTINATIONS

Here are some of the best scuba diving destinations in Australia:  

1. The Great Barrier Reef - World's biggest coral reef system

2. Ningaloo ReefBeautiful coral and best place to swim with whale sharks

3. South Australia The spot for cage diving with great white sharks

4. New South Wales - Dive sites with unique marine biodiversity

5. Victoria - Unique piers and great wreck dives

6. Western Australia - Lesser visited sites and home to some rare species

7. The Yongala Wreck - One of the best wrecks to dive in the world

8. Port Lincoln & Rapid Bay Jetty - Meet the weedy sea dragons

9. Osprey Reef - Best for diving with sharks

10. Fish Rock Cave - Best cavern and cave diving

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LIVEABOARD AVAILABILITY

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The rates shown below are per person in USD. The actual rates provided by the operators are based in Australian Dollar (AUD). The pricing at the time of booking may vary depending on the latest AUD/USD exchange rate.

  


1. The great barrier reef

World's largest coral reef system

On many scuba divers bucket lists, the world's biggest coral reef system boasts plenty of amazing scuba diving opportunities. With much of the reef protected and rich in marine life, it is not just one of the best scuba diving spots in Australia, but has become one of the top diving destinations in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is home to many shark species, including wobbegong, tiger, and hammerhead sharks. The reef is also a great place to spot whales like dwarf minke whales, humpbacks, and sperm whales. Other marine life encounters include barracudas, giant groupers, manta rays, eagle rays, blue-spotted rays, turtles, parrotfish, sea snakes, coral cod, and whale sharks. Besides big pelagics, the Great Barrier Reef has some beautiful healthy coral and surprising macro critters, including mantis shrimp, leaf scorpion fish, porcelain crabs, and glass shrimps. Great visibility and numerous dive sites for different levels of divers round out this destination. Although it is highly popular among scuba divers and snorkelers, there are some great dive sites that are rarely visited, particularly the Far North, Great Detached Reefs, and the Southern Islands of the Capricorn Bunker Group like Heron Island and Lady Musgrave and Elliot Islands. 

Interested in diving with whales? Check out our list of the Best Places to Swim With Whales?

minke whale australia

Want to know more about diving the Great Barrier Reef? Read all about it in our Great Barrier Reef Dive Guide.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round, with summer months having warmer waters and better visibility but winter months are best to see large marine mammals
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Cairns International (CNS)
  • Topside Activities: Plenty of options like hiking, wildlife parks, water rafting, and more.

2. Ningaloo Reef

Whale shark encounters!

Located on the west side of Australia, the Ningaloo Reef is home to the second-largest coral reef and an area not to be missed. The Ningaloo Marine Park has also been listed as a world heritage site, why it offers good competition for the Great Barrier Reef. This area is not only great for its amazing coral, but it is one of the best places to swim with whale sharks. The highest chance of seeing these creatures is during the months of April and May. During the winter months, you can even see manta rays. Humpback whales, turtles, and dolphins can be seen very often. The Ningaloo Reef is also one of the best spots in Australia for macro as it is home to many beautiful critters. 

whale shark

Check out this article of Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef by Christine Shepard.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. Summer months are rainier, spring is best for seeing whale sharks, and the winter season is best for spotting big pelagics like mantas, dolphins, and even dugongs when lucky!
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Learmonth Airport (LEA)
  • Topside Activities: Explore gorges or it's gorgeous beaches. 
 
 


3. South Australia

Great Wrecks, migration of cuttlefish, and great white sharks!

Diving in South Australia offers true pleasure to all the wreck divers. Throughout the area, there are many shipwrecks to explore. This generally less visited dive area, it is great for escaping the crowds and discover some true gems. South Australia does not only have some nice boat dives but also some very good shore dives. The marine life is wonderful and you can even see some seals and leafy sea dragons in this dive destination. Besides that, from May to August you are able to witness a spectacular event, the migration of the Australia Giant Cuttlefish.

shark cage diving

Moreover, this is the spot where adventure lovers come to scuba dive with the great white shark. South Australia is considered among one of the world's best places to shark cage dive and the only place in Australia where you can meet these majestic creatures. For a thrilling adventure of meeting the ultimate apex predator of the seas, visit the Neptune Islands with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, the pioneer of shark cage diving. You can get real close with great white sharks and have the opportunity to surface or floor cage dive.  In Neptune Islands you can experience shark diving like never before. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. The Australian Giant Cuttlefish can be spotted during the summer months only.
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Adelaide International Airport (ADL)
  • Topside Activities: Visit national parks or try wine tasting!




4. New South Wales 

rare coral and fish species

Like the above-mentioned areas, New South Wales does not lack options for scuba divers either. One of the most popular holiday destinations, Byron Bay with some of the best beaches, great waves for surfing, and of course great scuba diving, is located there. Another UNESCO heritage site, the Lord Howe Island with rare coral and fish species offers absolutely amazing dives. The most southern coral reef with a mixture of currents of different temperatures has brought scuba divers some unique endemic species that cannot be seen elsewhere. The marine life and flora and fauna is truly wonderful. What is even better, only a limited number of tourists are allowed there, which means you are very likely to have the dive site for yourself! Some of the exciting marine life you can encounter in New South Wales are leopard sharks, cuttlefish, rainbow runners, moray eels, pufferfish, and sea spiders among many.

cuttlefish

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. During the winter season, the water temperatures can get quite low and reach around 50F (10C).
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Sydney Airport (SYD)
  • Topside Activities: Visit Sydney, beautiful beaches or the Blue Mountains.

5. Victoria

unique piers and great wrecks

Fantastic variety of marine life brings you octopuses, seals, seahorses, eels, nudibranch, weedy seadragons, and plenty of others. Victoria has also some great dive sites for wreck divers. Some of the piers in Victoria have created some unique dive sites with a mystical atmosphere for marine life seeking shade and shelter. Flinders Pier is also a great dive site to spot stingrays and eagle rays, cuttlefish, crabs, and different sponges. Unlike other piers, Flinders has a grass bottom that attracts plenty of life, including the weedy sea dragon. There are also many islands offshore where the underwater world is very beautiful and you can see plenty of colorful reefs. 

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. 
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Melbourne Airport (MEB)
  • Topside Activities: Visit museums & galleries or go hiking and discover its amazing nature

6. Western Australia

spot some rare endemic species

Down from Ningaloo Reef, the rest of Western Australia is rich in marine biodiversity. As a lesser-visited area, many rare and endemic species like to call it their home. Some of the marine life you can see in the area are sharks, cuttlefish, octopus, trevally, mackerel, squids, turtles, dolphins and the list goes on. There are more than a hundred islands there where the underwater world is waiting to be explored. Not only diverse marine life, while diving in Western Australia, scuba divers can also discover some amazing wrecks. Additionally, the marine reserve protects the area from fishing or development, which is why the dive sites are well preserved and truly beautiful. Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands experience an annual crab migration and spawning, which attracts whale sharks and manta rays.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. The water temperatures are the coldest during fall and go under 67F (20C), while early spring is the warmest and the temperatures rise above 74F (23C).
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Perth Airport (PER/ YPPH)
  • Topside Activities: There are great museums and galleries to visit, beautiful beaches to enjoy and you can go and explore the outback.




7.  The Yongala Wreck

explore one of the best wrecks

One of the best shipwrecks to dive in the world, located near Townsville in Queensland. You can spot giant groupers, eagles rays, manta rays, sea turtles, sea snakes, huge schools of barracudas, giant trevallies, and various species of sharks. Sometimes, during the summer months, some lucky divers have even spotted minke or humpback whales! Excellent hard and soft coral and gorgonians sea fans can also be found here. The bottom of the wreck reaches 108ft (33m) and the dive site has often strong current, which is why it is recommended for experienced divers. The wreck is still in great condition and thus, many scuba divers call it their favorite wrecks to dive. 

Interested in diving with manta rays? Check out our article about the Best Manta Ray Diving in the World.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round. The calmest conditions are in September. The best visibility is during the winter months. The summer months are the wet season.
  • Difficulty: Advanced. 
  • Nearest Airport: Townsville International Airport (TSV)





8. Port Lincoln & RAPID BAY JETTY

MEET THE WEEDY SEA DRAGONS

Don't miss these popular shore dives in South Australia for a chance to meet the peculiar weedy sea dragons. These relatives of the seahorse are perfectly camouflaged amongst their kelp habitat. Rapid Bay Jetty may seem like an unassuming site on the surface, but below the waves the pier supports are a playground for schooling fish and home to some fascinating macro.

 weedy sea dragon

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round, but is weather dependent.
  • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced
  • Nearest Airport: Melbourne Airport (MEB)
  • Topside Activities: Visit Melbourne streets to see the fantastic street art, go shopping or see the national parks.
 

  • 9. Osprey Reef 

    Best place to dive with sharks

    Located in the Coral Sea on a remote atoll called Osprey Reef, there are plenty of dive sites not to be missed.  North Horn is one of the most famous and is a proper shark hub. Grey sharks, silvertip, great hammerheads, and even tiger sharks can all be seen at North Horn. Besides diving with sharks, you can also meet other pelagics like barracuda, turtles, rainbow runners, trevallies, tuna, and sometimes even manta rays can be spotted here. Whales and dolphins can be also spotted by scuba divers. The conditions are generally calm, but the occasional mild current offers a great opportunity for a nice drift dive. With its remote location, Osprey Reef is only accessible by Great Barrier Reef dive liveaboards. 

    Interested in diving with sharks? Check out our list of the Best Shark Diving in the World.

  • PRACTICAL INFORMATION

    • Diving Season: Year-round. The best visibility is from September to November.
    • Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced
    • Nearest Airport: Cairns International (CNS)
 

10. Fish Rock Cave

Excellent Cave Diving

If diving caves and caverns is something that interests you, you must add Fish Rock Cave to your list. The dive site does not only display a cave, but the cave itself is full of marine life. The caves are covered with gorgeous pink coral. Diving through the cave you can meet nurse sharks, wobbegong, morays, octopus, lobsters, and turtles. Scuba divers can always expect to see a lot of marine life, which makes this cave unique. Different sharks are also pretty much guaranteed to see during each dive. The cave has two different entrances, a shallow large entrance with a lot of light coming through and a deep entrance.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

  • Diving Season: Year-round
  • Difficulty: More suitable for advanced divers
  • Nearest Airport: Sydney Airport (SYD)




Other great dive sites in Australia

Some of the best dive sites in Australia:

Navy Pier -  Located in Exmouth, close to the Ningaloo Reef. Wobbegong shark, the grey nurse shark, whitetip reef shark, nudibranch, flat worms, frog fishes, scorpions fishes, and stone fishes are often spotted there.

  • Shelly Beach - This shore dive will take you through some great big boulders with gorgeous reef, seagrass, and beautiful white sand. You can spot some rays and even wobbegongs. 
  • Cod Hole - Located on The Great Barrier Reef.  Besides the large potato cods and Maori wrasses, you can also spot whitetip reef sharks, emperor angelfishes, and triggerfishes.
  • Lonsdale Wall - This great wall dive provides scuba divers with exciting swim-throughs where stunning soft coral, hanging sea fans and sponges have taken over. A variety of fish like to take shelter under the ledges, overhangs or undercuts. You can spot cuttlefish, seastars, nudibranch, blue devilfish among many others. 
  • AUSTRALIA LIVEABOARDS AND DIVE RESORTS

    There are a few options for liveaboard trips in Australia. Most of them include the Great Barrier Reef. Joining a dive liveaboard will give you the ultimate diving holiday in Australia and will also show you some beautiful sites that dive boats are not able to visit. Australia also has a couple of dive resorts on Heron Island and Lady Elliot Island, which are isolated and only accessible by flight or sea ferry. A range of other accommodation options are available, from hostels to vacation rentals, enabling you to dive with local dive operators and also discover some of the great topside activities Australia has to offer. 

    See our live availability to some of the best liveaboards in Australia.

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    Australia Travel Information & Tips

    about the country

    The largest country in Oceania, but the smallest continent in the world, is located in between the Indian and Pacific ocean. Traveling and backpacking around Australia is extremely popular, not least because of sites like the Great Barrier Reef. Australia is very biodiverse above and underwater and has some absolutely breathtaking places to see. Australia is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia. All of the areas are provide excellent diving opportunities. 

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    INTRO TO SCUBA DIVING IN AUSTRALIA

    The continent located south of the equator attracts scuba divers all year round and mainly to dive the Great Barrier Reef. Nevertheless, the island itself is huge and offers countless of beautiful dive sites beyond the famous reef. The choices for scuba divers are endless from colorful coral reefs, wrecks, giant kelp forests, and big pelagics. You can even dive with the great white sharks! Besides enjoyable fun dives, Australia is also a great place to get your dive certification in the first place as it has dive sites for all levels of divers. More experienced divers can also upgrade their skills by taking some technical diving courses. 

    Check out diving the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef from Belize or the Yucatan in Mexico.

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    DIVING INFORMATION  

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    MARINE LIFE

    Most scuba divers go diving in Australia to see the world heritage area, the Great Barrier Reef, that is home to more than 1500 fish species. Though Australia has a very diverse marine life, the destination is still best for seeing big fish rather than macro life. You can spot lots of different species of sharks like blacktip, whitetip sharks or wobbegongs. Whales are also quite common and you can see some humpback whales and minke whales. The Great Barrier Reef is also home to all the six of the whole world's seven turtle species.

Here are some of the marine life you are likely to see when scuba diving in Australia: 

  • Sharks
  • Turtles
  • Whales
  • Manta Rays
  • Dolphins
  • Seals
  • Sea Lions
  • Giant Clams
  • Maori Wrasse
  • Clown Fish
  • Cuttlefish
  • Octopus
  • Seahorse
  • Goblinfish
  • Leafy Seadragon
  • Nudibranch

 

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BEST TIME TO DIVE AUSTRALIA

The best time to dive fluctuates for what area of Australia you are diving. Numerous areas are accessible year-round, but the southern parts can have bad weather between May-October.  

 

weather & DIVING CONDITIONS

  • Water Temperatures: Can be anywhere between 70 - 87 degrees.
  • Visibility: Visibility on day trips will be between 50 and 100 ft. while further sites reached via liveaboard can be up to 150 ft. 
  • Depth Range: The majority of dive sites will be relatively shallow, 30 - 60 feet.

 

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TRAVEL INFORMATION 

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HOW TO GET THERE

There are several airlines that fly non-stop between Australia and the US. Australia's largest cities receive international flights: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Brisbane has the closest major airport to the Great Barrier Reef, and Cairns - the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef - receives some international flights.

Continue your travels with a trip to neighbouring Thailand. Lookinf for somewhere closer to home? Check out the best diving destinations nearby for Americans.

 

HOW TO DIVE AUSTRALIA

Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and Townsville/Yongala from liveaboards offering itineraries during select times of the year. Other locations host land-based dive operators offering shore diving or daily boat trips. Australia is a huge country, so consider what you want to see and where you want to dive when you plan your trip. 

  

TOPSIDE & NON-DIVING ACTIVITIES

Besides numerous underwater adventures, the country itself has great topside activities being home to some gorgeous beaches, unique wildlife, mountains, and rainforests. Due to Australia's size, it is near impossible to cover all the things you can do while visiting Australia.  It is also dependent on what areas you are visiting. But to touch on a few; no trip can be complete without learning of Australia's Aboriginal culture, try taking a hike to the sacred site of Uluru to catch the sunrise or sunset. For you city lovers, climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge or see a show at the iconic Sydney Opera House.  Or just take a drive along The Great Ocean Road - a scenic drive you won't forget. Australia is an inspiring place to visit, find out all about it.

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Other Useful Information 

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Practical Information

  • Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
  • Electricity: 230V 50Hz
  • Language: English
  • Time Zones: Australia has 5 standard time zones: Lord Howe Standard Time (LHST) - UTC+10:30; Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) - UTC+10; Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) - UTC+9:30; Australian Central Western Standard Time (ACWST) - UTC+8:45; Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) - UTC+8.  
  • Entry Requirements: You must have a valid passport and a visa to enter Australia. Most U.S. passport holders traveling to Australia for tourism or business purposes for less than 90 days can obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).

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Reviews (12)

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Australia is definitely a bucket list dive destination. Yes, you can go scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, but that is not where my fiancee and I decided to go. Instead, we went to Adelaide, South Australia, and the diving was fantastic. Very unique, very cool, and not busy or crowded.

Rapid Bay jetty is an amazing shore dive with lots of cool fish, especially the beautiful leafy sea dragon. Every dive we looked for leafies there, we found them, including some juveniles!

Our other favourite dive site was a prime macro destination - Edithburgh jetty. The night dives were absolutely insane, just crawling with cool cephalopods with pyjama squid, bobtail squid, Southern sand octopus, blue ring octopus, and pygmy cuttlefish (we saw all of those on one dive).

We were there in December/January, meaning the water temps were at their warmest, but still chilly (20 degrees C). However, it was quite hot on land, up to 35 C +. Topside we went to Kangaroo Island, also nearby, and saw tons of cool stuff in the wild. We swam with bottlenose dolphins, and got up close to wild koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and echnidnas. It was awesome.

Also on our trip, we went scubadiving in Sydney. Surprisingly, the diving was very good there as well, with great encounters with a giant cuttlefish, Port Jackson sharks, and other fun critters.

Cost-wise, scuba diving in Australia is a bit pricy, especially if you rent gear. If you bring your own gear, it would be very affordable. So, if you are going to Australia, think outside the Great Barrier Reef for some unique diving experiences!

Visited on 01/2019 - Submitted on 06/19/2019
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Location: Byron Bay (Julian Rocks)

Byron Bay is probably my favorite place in Australia. Byron Bay is an amazing little beach town in northern NSW. It is somewhat of a surf town, and it is popular among young backpackers. Byron Bay has a wide selection of accommodation from camping, and cheap hostels, to bed and breakfasts, and beach side hotels. It also has a great selection of bars and restaurants that are open late into the night.

Cape Byron is the most eastern point of the Australian mainland. All of the scuba diving in Byron Bay is concentrated on a large rock formation just off shore, known as Julian Rocks, and is easily visible from the beach. During the summer months tropical species can be found out at the dive sites, and during the winter, colder water species are found. During the winter months the rocks host a large population of the endangered Grey Nurse sharks. The winter months also bring migrating humpback whales. Although you will probably not see a humpback on a dive, it is common to hear them, and come across them on the short boat ride out or back from the rock. During the summer months when the water warms, the tropical species move in, and it common to see Leopard sharks, as well as manta rays. Other tropical species such as eagle rays, lion fish, bat fish, and colorful reef fish can also be found. Year round inhabitants of the rocks include two species of Wobbegong shark, green and loggerhead turtles, massive bull sting rays, guitar fish, king fish, and big friendly Blue Gropers. Being a temperate dive location, visibility and conditions can vary greatly and change quickly. Visibility can range from just a few meters to 25+ on a great day.

The most commonly visited site at the rocks is called the nursery. The nursery is a shallow site that bottoms out around 12 meters at the deepest. It is the most sheltered dive site, and this is where any classes are usually held. The needles is on the south side of the rock and is about 15 meters in depth. The currents are stronger at this dive site. The currents draw large schools of fish, and lots of rays. One of my favorite dives is to start in the nursery and end in the needles. Hugo's trench is on the opposite side of the rock from the nursery. This site is more exposed and not visited nearly as much as the nursery side. The site is about 15-20 meters deep. The trench runs perpendicular to the rock and is home to a huge amount of life, and interesting rock formations.

Byron Bay is great town, and should not be missed in Australia. Few travelers go there just for the diving, but if you do visit, I highly recommend doing a day or two of diving.

Visited on 08/2012 - Submitted on 09/27/2015
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Location: HERON ISLAND (Great Barrier Reef)

Heron Island is a small coral island located about 90 km off the coast of Gladstone in Queensland, AUS. The island is amazingly beautiful, and looks like a postcard. The island is also very small, you can walk around the entire island in about 20 minutes. Heron Island is home to one resort, and the University of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef Marine Research Station. I have not stayed at the resort so I cannot comment on the resort itself, but I was lucky enough to stay at the Marine Research station for 2 weeks while I was studying at UQ. The resort is small and so is the marine research station, so you will never have to worry about crowds or busy dive sites. The island is home to 100,000+ nesting sea birds, as well as a nesting site for green and loggerhead turtles between the months of March and October. Whales can be seen moving through the deeper water off the island during the winter months. The island is surrounded by an unbroken picturesque white sand beach and a shallow coral reef shelf.

There are several options for getting to the island. There is a boat that runs from Gladstone a few days a week. There is also a helicopter pad on the island if you wish to use a faster (and much more expensive) travel mode. Sea plane is the other option.

The resort dive operation is the only dive operation open to the public on the island. The diving on Heron Island is absolutely amazing and it's safe to say the island offers some of the best scuba diving experiences in Australia. Most of the dives are relatively shallow, very few are below 20 meters. The reefs around the island are very healthy; I have never seen so much healthy stag coral anywhere else. The reefs have an abundant amount of marine life. I will never forget that I saw my first Manta ray here, as well as my first tiger shark. Turtles, sharks and rays were seen on pretty much every dive I did. White tip sharks, Grey reef sharks, the occasional tiger shark, manta rays, green turtles, logger head turtles, barramundi cod, coral cod, huge numbers of rays, barracuda, sea snakes, countless colorful reef fish, coral trout, octopus, spotted eagle rays etc. are all found at the sites around the island. The currents at some of the sites can be swift, so there are a number of drift dives done around the island. For the non-divers in your group, the shallow reef surrounding the island is also perfect for snorkeling. There is also a channel cut through the reef to allow boat access to the dock. Snorkeling in this trench in the late afternoon after any boat traffic has stopped is great. In this trench in the evening it is common to see large number of white tipped reef sharks prowling the trench, as well as sleeping turtles, and schools of small bait fish. At the end of the trench is a large intact ship wreck, the HMAS Brisbane, that is only partially submerged, most of the wreck is above water. This island truly is a divers paradise, and I cant recommend it enough.

Visited on 10/2008 - Submitted on 09/12/2015
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LOCATION: Lord Howe Island

I've been fortunate enough to have several trips to Lord Howe Island and do a fair bit of diving there. Lord Howe is a World Heritage listed area and regularly features as one of the best holiday destinations in the world. It is a truly unique place. The Island is located about 600km (370mi) east of Port Macquarie on mainland Australia. So it's part of Australia, but a long way from anywhere. The whole island is about 10km long and between 0.3 and 2km wide. No more than 400 tourists are allowed on the Island at any one time and it's accessible by flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Port Macquarie. There is no mobile phone coverage and limited internet access so it's really an escape from everyday life. A dozen people in the one place is a big crowd for Lord Howe Island. It's relatively expensive. Flights and accommodation are relatively expensive. There are very few shops on the Island but they can supply all your basic needs. But once you are there you are in paradise, above and below the water. There are great walks, beaches, lot's of birds, fishing. It's not an action adventure destination, it's a relaxing laid back place.

There is great snorkelling right off the beach, particularly at Ned's Beach. You can also do some real nice snorkelling sites in the lagoon but they are better done via a tour with one of the local operators. They are all good. There are two dive operators on the Island. There are a range of boat dives you can do, mostly a short trip away. Some of these are just outside the lagoon, others off the Malabar headland or the Admiralties (a group of rocks and very small Island now far from the main island). Diving around the Island is generally in 12-18m. There is a lot to see and around the Island you can take your pick with wide-angle or macro photography. Arguably the best diving is at Ball's Pyramid which is about 23km SE of the Island and when the weather is good boats head out there for a days diving. Ball's Pyramid is a 562m high rocky outcrop which is the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Diving at Ball's is in around 30m plus and is like swimming in an aquarium. A good day there is the equal of just about any dive site in the world. Bring your wide-angle for Ball's because everything is scaled up!

The dive shops have all the equipment you need but it's basic diving only (i.e. no nitrox or rebreathers etc that I'm aware of). They will have very basic spare parts and items for sale (mask's, snorkels, things for basic repairs) and they will go out of their way to fix a problem with your gear. But because the Island is so remote and everything comes in via plane or the small cargo ship that supplies the Island they keep it pretty simple.

The Island is the southern most reef in Australia and has an interesting mix of tropical and temperate conditions. You'll need a wetsuit to dive even in summer, and definitely in winter. The marine life is incredibly diverse as there are over 90 species of coral and 500 species of fish inhabiting the reef: turtles, reef sharks, morays, lobster, clown fish, angelfish, nudibranchs and more. I was even lucky enough to be on a trip that swam with a young whale shark we encountered on the way to Ball's Pyramid several years back.

Visited on 01/2014 - Submitted on 08/04/2014

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