Whalebone is one of the five Muiron sites that the Aussie Marine Adventures series names as the most popular — with Keyhole, Cod Spot, Fraggle Rock and Dinner Plates — all fitted with public moorings to protect the reef from anchors. Depths across these sites range from 8 to 25 m.

The site is best known for glassfish. Salt & Charcoal singles out Whalebone for abundant glassfish, which fill the overhangs and swim-throughs in shimmering curtains and part around divers as they pass. Predators patrol the edges of the schools — coral trout, cod and trevally — making it a good site to watch hunting behaviour. The surrounding reef has the Muirons' mix of hard corals, soft corals, sponges and gorgonian fans, with nudibranchs for macro fans, and turtles and reef sharks are common.

It is a straightforward moored dive suitable for Open Water divers, with the swim-throughs open and short. Good buoyancy is important to avoid damaging the reef and to keep the glassfish undisturbed for photos.

Muiron coral condition declined after the 2025 marine heatwave and Dive Ningaloo paused Muiron trips in August 2025. Other operators may still include Whalebone on their Muiron days.

About the Muirons: North and South Muiron are two low, uninhabited limestone islands about 15 km north-east of the tip of North West Cape, protected within the World Heritage-listed Muiron Islands Marine Management Area. They are reached only by boat, which has kept the surrounding reefs relatively untouched. The waters are visited by dolphins, dugong, pilot whales and, from July to October, migrating humpback whales, and turtles nest on the island beaches in summer. The islands are well known for strong currents and changeable conditions, so dives are always chosen on the day by the skipper according to wind, swell and tide, and a day on the Muirons usually combines two sites with lunch on the boat in the lee of the islands.

Muiron trips leave Exmouth early (around 8:00–8:30 am). Operators collect divers or meet at their shop, then launch from Exmouth Marina (2 km south of town) or Bundegi boat ramp (14 km north). The islands lie about 15 km (9.8 nautical miles) north-east of the tip of North West Cape; the run takes roughly 1 hour from the marina and less from Bundegi, and it can be bumpy in a south-westerly.

Sites have public moorings; the boat ties off and divers giant-stride from the stern. Full-day double-dive trips with lunch on board.

The Muirons are exposed: the crossing and the western sides take the brunt of south to south-westerly winds and swell, and the afternoon sea breeze (often 15–25 knots, especially October–March) makes the return trip rough, so trips run early and are frequently cancelled for wind. Strong tidal currents run between and around the islands; drift sites such as The Gap are timed with the tide, and building swell often limits which side of South Muiron is diveable. Visibility 5–20 m, lower during plankton blooms and after the March–April coral spawn.

Cyclone season November–April. DBCA advises carrying a PLB because conditions can change quickly.

Descend the mooring to the reef, explore the overhangs and swim-throughs at 12–16 m where the glassfish gather, then work back shallower along the reef to the mooring for the safety stop.

Dive Ningaloo paused all Muiron Islands diving from 21 August 2025 after the coral bleaching event (replaced with Westside trips); Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo (Exmouth Diving Centre) runs Muiron dive and snorkel day trips when weather allows; Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim and Ningaloo Whaleshark-N-Dive offer Muiron dives on request. Check current status before booking.