Some of Australia's best diving is at the end of a long ride: the Yongala from Townsville, the outer Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, the Abrolhos from Geraldton. This list ranks day-trip sites by the recorded boat time from the usual departure point.
Updated daily from the directory. 25 sites listed.
1. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Chimney Corner (Three Hummock Island)
Boat ride: 100 min · Rare granite swim-throughs on a remote Hunter Group island.
2. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Goose Island (Furneaux)
Boat ride: 80 min · Three contrasting sides around a lighthouse island, plus the remains of the Merilyn.
3. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Litherland (Clarke Island)
Boat ride: 75 min · Trypots of a whaling ship lost at Clarke Island in 1853.
4. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Mistaken Cape (Maria Island)
Boat ride: 75 min · An expedition dive on Maria Island's eastern tip: 15 m walls of yellow zoanthids and spires in exceptionally clear water.
5. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Sydney Cove (Preservation Island)
Boat ride: 75 min · One of Australia's oldest shipwrecks (1797), whose survivors' ordeal opened Bass Strait to sealing.
6. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Bunker Bay (Maria Island)
Boat ride: 70 min · A sheltered second dive on Maria Island's remote eastern coast.
7. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Cambridgeshire (Night Island)
Boat ride: 70 min · The Furneaux Group's best wreck: an 1875 iron ship with swim-throughs and a fish-filled intact stern.
8. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Cape Sonnerat (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 60 min · Rated 10/10 by the regional guide: granite caverns at 30-40 m lit by a flue-like opening, with clouds of butterfly perch and seals.
9. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Lemon Rock (Wineglass Bay)
Boat ride: 60 min · A remote granite islet at the mouth of Wineglass Bay with a sheer drop to 40 m and clouds of butterfly perch.
10. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Mount Storey Cliffs (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 60 min · Granite boulders at 20-25 m below Schouten Island's highest peak, with unusually large banded morwong.
11. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Thunder and Lightning Bay Reef
Boat ride: 60 min · A small granite reef with a colourful central rock and very large crayfish.
12. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Black Patch Bay (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 55 min · House-sized granite boulders fallen from the cliffs onto the bottom at 20-25 m, in usually excellent visibility.
13. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Sandstone Bluff (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 55 min · Sandstone ledges and a large swim-through at 10 m in the shelter of Schouten Island's cliffs.
14. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Taillefer Rocks
Boat ride: 55 min · Stark granite steps with seals and strong clean water in the Schouten Island group.
15. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Ile des Phoques
Boat ride: 50 min · Rated among Tasmania's best dives: a colony of hundreds of playful fur seals and a well-lit cave through the island.
16. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Babel Island Fossil Dive
Boat ride: 50 min · Hunting for megalodon teeth eroding from limestone ledges.
17. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Courts Island
Boat ride: 50 min · Remote island with sheer cliffs, sandy gullies and colourful sponges – one of the region's top-rated reef dives.
18. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Gates Bluff Bay (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 50 min · A sheltered, clear-water weed garden - the easy second dive at Schouten Island.
19. Tasmania West Coast · TAS
Hells Gates (Macquarie Harbour)
Boat ride: 50 min · The infamous entrance to Macquarie Harbour, with two shallow historic wrecks on its spits.
20. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Point Geographe (Schouten Island)
Boat ride: 50 min · Shallow granite mazes and swim-throughs with huge banded morwong and often excellent visibility.
21. Tasmania West Coast · TAS
SS Devon (Hells Gates)
Boat ride: 50 min · An 1894 steamer's stern and steering gear breaking the surface behind the Hells Gates breakwater.
22. Tasmania West Coast · TAS
SS Kawatiri (Hells Gates)
Boat ride: 50 min · A tragic 1907 wreck on the shoal that bears its name, periodically uncovered by shifting sand.
23. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
The Friars (Bruny Island)
Boat ride: 50 min · Remote volcanic islets with swim-throughs, seals and clean Southern Ocean water off Bruny's southern tip.
24. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Gaudelette (Cape Barren Island)
Boat ride: 45 min · The scattered remains of an 1865 composite barque off Cape Barren Island.
25. King Island · TAS
Cataraqui
Boat ride: 40 min · The site of Australia's worst civil maritime disaster (1845), with anchor and capstan on an exposed reef.
Frequently asked questions
Is a long boat ride worth it?
Usually yes: distance from the coast means clearer water, healthier reef and bigger animals. Take seasickness precautions and expect weather cancellations on exposed runs.
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- The Oldest Shipwrecks You Can Dive in Australia
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- All rankings →