Fremantle
Explore PerthIn Western Australia is Perth, where people come to enjoy the laidback atmosphere, beau
Explore Perth
In Western Australia is Perth, where people come to enjoy the laidback atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and stunning surrounding landscapes. Within the sea, are also some incredible landscapes, with over twenty dive sites accessed from Perth’s shore and many more if you travel by boat to some of the nearby islands such as Rottnest Island. The area is home to a number of historical wrecks with drift dives, overhangs, caves, and swim-throughs all to be found among limestone rocks. Seahorse and the weedy sea dragon take refuge from the current in reefs while dolphins, seals and even a migratory humpback whale may be seen travelling West Australia’s rugged and diverse coastline.
Scuba diving in Perth is possible from a number of dive centres in the area. Often, these dive centres will take you further afield to Rottnest Island and some even venture as far as the Great Barrier Reef on dive trips. Dive resorts are not common in Western Australia but if you want to spend longer exploring WA diving, jump on visiting liveaboards which can be boarded from Perth’s vibrant port town, Fremantle.
Places to explore
Dive Activity
Diving in Perth
Perth is home to a number of impressive wrecks, such as the Lady Elizabeth or Macedon and Denton Holmes Wrecks which are suitable for novice divers. Advanced divers can head to the Gemini Wreck at Two Rock lying 30-metres deep and adorned with pink and white soft corals swaying ethereally in the current. There are many shore dives from Perth’s beaches, such as the caves and ledges abundant with anemones, crayfish, and cuttlefish at Yanchep Dog Beach or the swim-throughs found at Mushroom Rocks accessed via Point Peron.
For a drift dive, head to Swan River which filters into the Indian Ocean. Accessed from the port town of Fremantle, drift steadily along the river using your buoyancy skills to avoid stirring up the muddy bottom. Little Island is great site to find crayfish and seal while taking a short boat ride to Rottnest Island will find divers finning among pristine reefs with plenty of fun swim-throughs and caverns. If you decide to take dive courses from Perth dive centres, it is likely you will take your training dives in the calm waters of Rottnest Island or from Perth shore dives.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Perth
At Rottnest Island, sea turtles can be seen breaching the surface for a breath of fresh air while looking within seagrass meadows divers can spot the weedy and leafy sea dragons. Sheltering in caves you may find the wobbegong sharks and grey nurse sharks while entering from Perth shores, a Port Jackson shark may be seen resting on the sandy flats. At sites with silty bottoms, blue swimmer crabs dance across the seafloor while sand dollars, sea stars, and the impressive white-spotted jellyfish pulse through the water.
Divers can access an island where sea lions live throughout the year while there is also the opportunity to see bull stingrays and dolphins playing. Occasionally eagle rays swoop in from the deeper blue to feed on crustaceans and crayfish frequent Perth’s shore dives. Octopus hide in cracks and crevices in the limestone rocks and brilliantly coloured nudibranch adorn the remnants of ships. Very lucky divers may have the chance to swim alongside a migrating humpback whale during the right season or view them on their surface interval.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
196 Sightings
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41
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46
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32
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44
M
7
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4
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5
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1
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2
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2
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7
D
5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
108 Sightings
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26
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3
M
9
A
15
M
2
J
1
J
3
A
15
S
9
O
8
N
7
D
10
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
17 Sightings
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0
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1
M
6
A
9
M
1
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0
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0
A
0
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0
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0
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0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 80
iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays
221 Sightings
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38
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33
M
30
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28
M
5
J
8
J
4
A
10
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13
O
12
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20
D
20
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 3000
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
171 Sightings
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42
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6
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27
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28
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7
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3
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2
A
6
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8
O
9
N
23
D
10
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 60
iStock-Global_Pics
Spiny Lobster
152 Sightings
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23
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8
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13
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18
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11
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10
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9
A
7
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4
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13
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18
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18
Alamy-WaterFrame
Common Seahorse
143 Sightings
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31
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26
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16
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28
M
4
J
4
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0
A
3
S
8
O
2
N
13
D
8
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
111 Sightings
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18
F
4
M
15
A
20
M
0
J
2
J
21
A
8
S
7
O
1
N
6
D
9
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
Shutterstock_Krzysztof Odziomek
Butterfly Fish
98 Sightings
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21
F
7
M
9
A
13
M
1
J
2
J
0
A
16
S
6
O
6
N
8
D
9
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 100
iStock-burnsboxco
Parrotfish
88 Sightings
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18
F
2
M
8
A
15
M
3
J
4
J
7
A
13
S
7
O
4
N
3
D
4
The best Months to dive in Perth
Perth diving is available all-year-round as it is Australia’s sunniest city, with ranging water temperatures from 19-24℃. From December to March there are hot, dry summers and the most rainfall occurs between May through to September but even though it is the wettest, most days have brilliant blue skies and lots of sunshine. Seals and bottlenose dolphin can be seen throughout the year in Perth while September to December, humpback whales can be seen migrating along the coast.
