The Best Cave & Sinkhole Dives in Australia
Ordered from the most accessible to the most demanding.
Australian cave diving is concentrated in two limestone provinces, the Mount Gambier region of South Australia and the Nullarbor Plain of Western Australia, plus ocean caves like Fish Rock and the Tasman Peninsula's sea caves that are dived on scuba without cave training. The Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) manages access to almost every inland site; Kilsby Sinkhole and Ewens Ponds are the open-access exceptions.
1. Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Ewens Ponds
Three spring-fed ponds joined by a creek, with 60 m visibility and no cave rating required. The gentlest introduction to the region.
Freshwater Lake/RiverMax 10 mBeginnerOpen WaterShore accessMore in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves →
2. Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Kilsby Sinkhole
A privately owned sinkhole open to recreational divers by booking, with guides, platforms and extraordinary clarity.
Sinkhole/CenoteMax 65 mIntermediateTechnical (decompression)Shore accessMore in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves →
3. South West Rocks · NSW
Fish Rock Cave
The ocean cave: 125 m through an island, with grey nurse sharks at both ends. Advanced Open Water and a guide.
4. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Cathedral Cave
Tasmania's sea-cave system at Waterfall Bay, with chambers you can surface in. Calm days only.
5. Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Piccaninnie Ponds
The Cathedral and the Chasm in a coastal spring; currently closed to diving, check before travelling.
Sinkhole/CenoteMax 10 mIntermediateCave/Cavern certificationShore accessMore in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves →
6. Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Tank Cave
The country's longest cave dive, CDAA Advanced Cave rating.
Cave/CavernMax 30 mExpert/TechnicalCave/Cavern certificationShore accessMore in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves →
7. Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
The Shaft
The deepest sinkhole, CDAA Advanced Cave rating.
Sinkhole/CenoteMax 124 mExpert/TechnicalCave/Cavern certificationShore accessMore in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves →
8. Nullarbor Caves · WA
Cocklebiddy Cave
The Nullarbor's giant, with sumps, rockpiles and camps in the cave.
10. Nullarbor Caves · WA
Tommy Grahams Cave
Another Nullarbor system, 36 m deep, reached down a steep doline.