About the directory

What this is

An independent, editorially maintained directory of every documented scuba dive site in Australia and its external territories, the dive centres, charters and liveaboards that run them, and the training each site needs. It takes no payment for listings and has no commercial relationship with any operator.

How sites were researched

Each site was compiled from dive operators' own site guides and briefings, state and Commonwealth marine park and shipwreck heritage databases, the Cave Divers Association of Australia, hydrographic and heritage records, and long-standing independent references such as Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site and The Scuba Doctor's Victorian site guide. Sources are listed on every site page. Where sources disagree on depth or position we record the range and say so.

Confidence levels

High: several independent sources agree on location, depth and conditions. Medium: documented, but some details rest on a single source. Low: thinly documented; depths and position should be treated as approximate and confirmed locally. Sites whose existence as a dive site could not be verified are not published.

Coordinates and imagery

Positions marked Exact come from published GPS marks or moorings. Positions marked Approximate show the general area and must never be used for navigation. Satellite images are Mapbox/Maxar imagery centred on the recorded position; the pin follows the same rule. 528 sites have no published coordinates and therefore no image.

Certification tiers

Every site is placed in a depth tier by its recorded maximum depth: 0–10 m easy, to 18 m Open Water, 18–30 m Advanced Open Water (with 25 m and beyond treated as a deep dive), 30–40 m Deep specialty or Advanced plus experience, beyond 40 m technical. Where an operator quotes a lower level than the depth requires, usually because most of the dive is shallower, the site page keeps the operator's value and explains the difference. Overhead environments keep their cave or wreck specialty requirement regardless of depth. The courses page sets out each tier.

How the ratings are computed

The “How this site rates” scorecard is derived from the recorded data, never from opinion: marine life from the number of species or groups recorded; beginner-friendliness from the depth tier, difficulty rating and current; technical interest from depth, overhead environment and published technical notes; popularity and remoteness from how often operators run the site, liveaboard access and distance offshore; visibility, cold water and current from the recorded ranges. Hovering any rating shows its inputs. Rankings pages are computed live from the same fields.

Dive centres

Operators come from two places: a researched set with capabilities checked against a current primary source (marked Verified) or presented by the business (Advertised), and every operator named in the dive-site research (Named by sites). A capability that has not been researched is shown as “Not researched”, never as a no. Contact details were checked against official websites and listings and carry a check date; operators our research indicates have ceased trading are kept, flagged “Reported closed”, because site records still name them.

Editorial standards

We describe what a site is like and what it demands, not how good a time you will have. We do not invent visibility numbers, depths, species or contact details; where a field is empty it is because no credible source supplied it. Time-sensitive facts (closures, moorings, permits) are stated with their status as last checked and should be confirmed before travelling. Corrections from operators and local divers are applied on their merits, not on payment.

Dive safely

This directory is a planning aid, not a dive plan. Sea conditions, access, closures and marine park rules change. Check the forecast, talk to a local dive centre, dive with a buddy and stay within your training and experience. In a diving emergency call 000, then the DAN Asia-Pacific Diving Emergency Service on 1800 088 200.

Corrections

Know a site better than we do? Operators and local divers are welcome to send corrections: depths, entry points, closures, new sites or changed contact details. Each correction is checked against a source before it is published.