Best Western Australia diving option advice needed

[Stein Grubben]

Some additional info on Wingys post. These days Warroora,Cardabia and Ningaloo stations all require booking. You cannot just rock up and camp these days and all these places will be really busy during the school holidays. Camping in these places is really cheap but there are no facilities except dump points for chemical toilets which you must have. You have to be totally self contained as in power water and firewood. They are great places. the only one I would avoid is Bruboodjoo on Cardabia commonly known as the nine mile camp as it is pretty much just a salt flat and snorkelling at Coral Bay nine miles away is way better. I have not been to the bottom end of Warroora but I have heard there is some good snorkelling there.
Be aware that most of the time over the last few years Yardie creek has been impassable to vehicles which prevents you driving from Coral Bay to Exmouth along the coast track. I have seen heaps of pics of vehicles drowned in Yardie Creek.
A good place for a snorkel is Turqoise Bay which is a drift snorkel just off the beach but you will not be alone there.
Coral Bay has good snorkelling right in the bay and other nearby spots are five fingers and oyster bridge.
I have been to Coral Bay for the last twelve years and will be there for seven weeks at the end of April so I have seen a bit there. Keeping that in mind I would not recommend scuba diving there unless the swell is right down and they can get in close outside the reef. The places the companies take scuba trips are not that exciting and you can see everything there with a snorkel
Youtube Coral Bay dugong,it is some footage I took there of a dugong that was happy to hang out with us for about ten minutes.
Once you get north of exmouth you can pretty much forget about diving unless you can find a local to get you out away from the coast.
Check out a place inland called Karajini, it is amazing.

Thanks for the reply. Lots of info which i will take in when going there. Karajini is already on the itinerary! The website from Warroora station says they dont take bookings, are you sure they do?

 

[Wingy]

In late April-early May 2002, I spent close to two weeks diving and snorkeling mostly around Ningaloo Reef out of Exmouth. One of those days was spent in Coral Bay for mantas. I don't know if things have changed but the one place that I wouldn't mind diving again.....and again would be - as already suggested by others - the Navy Pier.

I digress but, on the lighter side, since the subject of spotter planes was brought up, some years ago, the story goes that a spotter plane was up there in Ningaloo Reef looking for whalesharks for the boats below, and when they spotted one, they radioed the boats. One of those boats launched their snorkelers. Upon seeing the shark, the snorkelers were alleged to have hydroplaned back to the boat when they realized that the whaleshark turned out to be a big tiger.

Thanks @ Manuel Sam & @ garycrano for the updated info. I'm really happy to see there are Chem toilet dumping facilities and that some conservation matters have been put in place. As well as growing up camped half a year with a diving dad a lot of decades ago I worked on the unmanaged camping coastal ecology study 20 years ago at uni so it's good to hear some recommendations were implemented.

I understand all the economic benefits of developing marine based tourism and commend operators and the government for putting such stringent codes of practice on interactions with wildlife.

There's just one thing that niggles me....spotter planes. I've often wondered about an eventual association with the plane and a group of snorkellers turning up. I'm pretty sure they're smart animals...I remember when Harold Holt base was active and the Jets would do strafing runs over the coast...the whales would always disappear as soon as the jets took off. Admittedly they probably knew those jets had bombs not happy humans. Just something I've wondered about for a long time....the bombing may also account for a few of the bowl shaped holes in the reef too...food for thought.

 

[Jon Brad]

Perth is where I first did my open water course in 2012.

There are lots of solid shore dives around the area, Dolphin Scuba Diving is a great shop that puts on weekly shore dives every Sunday. Get out with them and do a double boat dive on Rottnest Island as well, you won't regret it.

Like others have said, the Ningaloo reef at Exmouth and Coral Bay is mind blowing. World class snorkelling right off the beach, and the Exmouth Navy pier ranks among my personal top 5 dives ever.

Western Australia is a diving Mecca! Have fun!