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. Esperance & Recherche Archipelago · WA
Belinda & Penguin Wrecks (Middle Island)
Boat ride: 180 min · An 1824 sealing brig and a steamer's boiler at the Recherche's largest island, home of pink Lake Hillier and pirate Black Jack Anderson.
2. Rottnest Island · WA
West End Reefs
Boat ride: 100 min · Deep, current-swept spires and fissures at the far end of Rottnest with big fish, sharks and passing whales.
3. Pilbara & Dampier · WA
Delambre Island
Boat ride: 90 min · Branching coral gardens on a remote turtle island.
4. Rottnest Island · WA
Fish Hook Bay
Boat ride: 90 min · A remote West End bay with turquoise water, extensive reef and excellent visibility in a sanctuary zone.
5. Rottnest Island · WA
Shark Cave
Boat ride: 90 min · Protected grey nurse sharks resting in an arc-shaped cave at 24-26 m off the West End - Rottnest's premier shark dive.
6. Rottnest Island · WA
10 Metre Spire
Boat ride: 90 min · An offshore spire with big overhangs and a fish-packed cave, rising to 10 m off the West End.
7. Albany & Great Southern · WA
Bremer Canyon (orca expeditions)
Boat ride: 90 min · One of the largest summer killer whale aggregations in the southern hemisphere – viewed from the boat, not in the water.
8. Rottnest Island · WA
Cathedral Rocks Caverns
Boat ride: 90 min · Cathedral-like caverns lit by beams through roof windows at the West End, with seals nearby - diveable only a few days a year.
9. Rottnest Island · WA
Kiryo Maru I Wreck
Boat ride: 90 min · Scattered remains of a 1984 Japanese tuna longliner in the white water beside Cathedral Rocks.
10. Geographe Bay & Busselton · WA
Naturaliste Reef
Boat ride: 90 min · A remote offshore reef with big drop-offs to 50 m, 20 nm out and rarely dived.
11. Rottnest Island · WA
Tuna Hut
Boat ride: 85 min · Caves, swim-throughs and crayfish near the West End seal colony - the classic second dive after Shark Cave.
12. Rottnest Island · WA
The Clipper (Maranda, Graveyard Site 06)
Boat ride: 80 min · A deep, intact iron sailing-ship hull in 65 m, the best known of the Rottnest graveyard wrecks among Perth tech divers.
13. Rottnest Island · WA
Thornliebank Wreck (Graveyard Site 44)
Boat ride: 80 min · Standing masts on an 1886 Glasgow-built barque hulk, discovered in 2024 - the shallowest known wreck in the Rottnest graveyard.
14. Rottnest Island · WA
Green Island (Rottnest)
Boat ride: 75 min · A sanctuary-zone reef where endangered Australian sea lions haul out, with a chance of an in-water encounter.
15. Pilbara & Dampier · WA
Legendre Island
Boat ride: 75 min · The archipelago's best drop-off, with gorgonians and pelagics to 30 m+.
16. Esperance & Recherche Archipelago · WA
Sanko Harvest Wreck
Boat ride: 75 min · Australia's largest wreck dive – a 174 m bulk carrier broken into giant sections in 13-44 m, protected by a 500 m no-take zone.
17. Kalbarri & Shark Bay · WA
Gudrun Wreck (Cape Peron)
Boat ride: 75 min · A rarely dived 1901 wreck in a Shark Bay sanctuary zone, rich with groper and lionfish.
18. Pilbara & Dampier · WA
Hamersley Shoal
Boat ride: 75 min · An offshore fishing shoal with exploratory diving potential.
19. Rottnest Island · WA
Rottnest Ships' Graveyard
Boat ride: 75 min · The deep-water dumping ground west of Rottnest, home to technical wrecks in 30–200 m.
20. Rottnest Island · WA
Swirl Reef
Boat ride: 70 min · A crater-shaped reef with a huge light-shafted cave and multiple swim-throughs - Rottnest's most unusual formation.
21. Esperance & Recherche Archipelago · WA
Remark Island & Frederick Island
Boat ride: 70 min · Sheltered granite with seals on Remark's north side, a 50 m sponge and black coral wall on its south, and Frederick Island's granite dome.
22. Rottnest Island · WA
Salmon Bay Unidentified Wreck
Boat ride: 70 min · A lone boiler, shaft and propeller of unknown origin in clear 26 m water off Salmon Bay.
23. Rottnest Island · WA
North Point Reef
Boat ride: 65 min · A narrow limestone ravine 8 m deep, lit by shafts of sunlight, cutting through an offshore mound at 18-26 m.
24. Rottnest Island · WA
Cigar Reef
Boat ride: 65 min · An offbeat reef with thermoclines, odd currents and a reputation for unusual creatures.
25. Rottnest Island · WA
Jack's Patch
Boat ride: 65 min · A linear limestone reef with corals, ledges, swim-throughs and a large cave at 13-17 m off Salmon Point.
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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