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!

 

[Living4Experiences]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I need a bit more help. While in Perth, I'm diving with Bucket List Diver (by recommendation of the SB members), however, there's two days they said they won't be diving because of entering the slow season in the first week of April and it's before the busy Easter holiday. Do you have any other recommended dive shops in Perth?

 

[Heat Miser]

Do you have any other recommended dive shops in Perth?

Perth Scuba (is probably the most recreationally focused Dive Shop in Perth) they have their own boat Blue Destiny (large cat), which goes out most weekends from Fremantle.
PERTH SCUBA | Dive & Snorkel Shop Western Australia
https://bluedestiny.com.au/

The other regular boat is Image Dive (out of Hillary's Marina) and skippered by very experienced Luke Nelson (he is a Wet Mule)
Rottnest Scuba Diving

Three Hours south of Perth there is Swan Dive that runs trips to the HMAS Swan wreck and the Busselton Jetty
https://swandive.com.au/

The other big dive shop in Perth is Dolphin Scuba and they tend use some of the boats mentioned above. They may also run some shore dives (walking in off the beach and/or river bank, whilst your here)
https://www.dolphinscuba.com.au/

I think Perth Dive Academy near Hillary's Marina (where Luke's ImageDive departs from) has its own smaller boat that does short trip out to Marmion Marine Park (but not Rottnest to the best of my knowledge)
https://www.perthdiving.com.au/

Six hours south in Albany, South Coast Dive Supplies do trips to HMAS Perth wreck and other wrecked whalers. Gary Welstead
https://divealbany.com.au/

Western Australia is BIG!, and Perth is very spread-out you may be better off renting a car.