Question Where to Dive in Australia in April 2025

[living4experiences]

I have the opportunity to spend some time in Australia with an open schedule in April 2025. I want to make this the "best of" type of dive trip and hit the premium dive locations around the country. I'm purely a recreational diver, AOW and Nitrox certified with about 600 dives. No tech or rebreather, and I don't have to go deep to have fun. My dive experience includes the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, Raja Ampat, French Polynesia, and Fiji, a single dive day in Sydney, and 8 liveaboards. I prefer boat diving, but I don't mind shore dives that don't involve sand or rocks; meaning launching from a pier or climbing down a ladder is fine. I have a bad knee, so sandy or rocky entries and exits are a no-go.

Ningaloo is on the list, along with the Navy Pier in WA. The Yongala wreck sounds like a good dive, but tell me more. Is it tide-dependent? Does the moon cycle have any effect on the accessibility to the site? Is April a good time to reach the wreck? Is it reachable by day boat or only liveaboard?

Some other locations I've heard about: Busselton Jetty, Lady Elliot Island, Heron Island, Rottnest Island.
I'd like to explore the unbleached areas of the GBR. Would that be the Ribbon Reef and Coral Sea? I don't know my geography very well for Australia.

So, where else should I go?

Is the month of April the peak time for school or national holidays? I want to avoid that, if possible.

TIA!

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Have a look at my website. Lots of great diving in NSW. I also cover all the states to a little extent. Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Website

That's been a really useful website for me over the years. Great work!

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

If you're in Western Australia in April, I definitely recommend diving at the "good" sites in Rottnest Island, Perth. It's the best season for diving in Perth at that time of the year, and can be spectacular.

For the East Coast, I've only dived there this year in May/June, in South-East Queensland. The diving was awesome!...
I was staying in Brisbane,...2-3 hours north at Rainbow Beach (Sunshine Coast) there's Wolf Rocks dive site, the only dive site in the world where large numbers of Grey Nurse Sharks congregate, mate, give birth,...sometimes more than 150 mature sharks. My experience there, I seen >60 large +3 metre pregnant female sharks. In about 30 seconds, I counted 28, then I just stopped counting. Also seen a Manta Ray! Was probably my best dives ever.

And 15 minutes boat ride from Brisbane is North Stradbroke Island, also some great diving there. Underwater, I seen bull sharks and a humpback whale, but the other dive group seen a great white shark, humpback whales, dolphins and possibly a Manta?

Weather is perfect in Queensland most of that time of the year. If I compared my diving in Exmouth, compared to diving in South East Queensland at that time of the year, I'd say Queensland was superior & better value, logistically easier, and nicer top side.

 

[Dan]

That's been a really useful website for me over the years. Great work!

Yep. I even use his Bali-Komodo-Bali dive site info as reference when I lead the same trip.

 

[happy-diver]

I was staying in Brisbane,...2-3 hours north at Rainbow Beach (Sunshine Coast) there's Wolf Rocks dive site, the only dive site in the world where large numbers of Grey Nurse Sharks congregate, mate, give birth,...sometimes more than 150 mature sharks. My experience there, I seen >60 large +3 metre pregnant female sharks. In about 30 seconds, I counted 28, then I just stopped counting. Also seen a Manta Ray! Was probably my best dives ever.

And 15 minutes boat ride from Brisbane is North Stradbroke Island, also some great diving there. Underwater, I seen bull sharks and a humpback whale, but the other dive group seen a great white shark, humpback whales, dolphins and possibly a Manta?

Dude Brisbane dude!

Sharks at Flat rock whales every trip during migration mantas at Manta Bommie and heaps of other stuff

Dude Cook Island dude!

Mantas and turtles and heaps of other stuff

Dives with people on the boat going ooohh aaahh before they get in the water


All this stuff is seasonal, check with your seasonal people
but not with the weather or visibility people because hey
it's diving

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Dude Brisbane dude!

View attachment 849735

Sharks at Flat rock whales every trip during migration mantas at Manta Bommie and heaps of other stuff

View attachment 849736

Dude Cook Island dude!

View attachment 849737

Mantas and turtles and heaps of other stuff

View attachment 849738

Dives with people on the boat going ooohh aaahh before they get in the water


All this stuff is seasonal, check with your seasonal people
but not with the weather or visibility people because hey
it's diving

I might be going to Brisbane again next week. I heard the weather this week's been cold & rainy, if it clears up I'll probably go diving at North Stradbroke Island again,...whale season!

 

[kiwidives]

You might want to check out Narooma, south of Sydney. You'll be able to dive with fur seals and grey nurse sharks off Montague Island in April.

 

[MB NZ]

I might be going to Brisbane again next week. I heard the weather this week's been cold & rainy, if it clears up I'll probably go diving at North Stradbroke Island again,...whale season!

I'm in Cairns on holiday at the moment trying to get away from miserable New Zealand winter. It's been very wet and the wind has been howling. Ocean is rough and the water at Palm Cove looks like hot chocolate. Doesn't look like that in the brochures! Someone told me it's the wettest dry season they can remember. Was planning to get a couple of days diving in, we'll see!

 

[happy-diver]

North Stradbroke Island again,...whale season!

Great ocean conditions at the mo
and dive on your back or backwards on a 45 degree angle like instructors do to catch the whales

 

[Ranga]

I'm in Cairns on holiday at the moment trying to get away from miserable New Zealand winter. It's been very wet and the wind has been howling. Ocean is rough and the water at Palm Cove looks like hot chocolate. Doesn't look like that in the brochures! Someone told me it's the wettest dry season they can remember. Was planning to get a couple of days diving in, we'll see!

Well the good news for you if you're sticking around is they predict low winds Saturday and a glass-out Sunday/Monday. They're also predicting the rain to die off, though that's been a lot less reliable than the wind this year.

Good luck, hope you get the conditions you're looking for.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

I'm in Cairns on holiday at the moment trying to get away from miserable New Zealand winter. It's been very wet and the wind has been howling. Ocean is rough and the water at Palm Cove looks like hot chocolate. Doesn't look like that in the brochures! Someone told me it's the wettest dry season they can remember. Was planning to get a couple of days diving in, we'll see!

Hope it clears up