13 minute read
Australia
from Scuba Diver ANZ #46
Western Australia is Australia’s largest state, with a total land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi). It is the secondlargest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia’s Sakha Republic, with 79% of the population living in the Perth area.
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Shoal of Fish, Ningaloo Reef © Tourism Western Australia © @jesshaddenphoto
Exploring the
coast
Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef is famous mainly for whaleshark encounters, but the region has much more to offer divers, from the abundant marine life of Exmouth Navy Pier to the soft coral wonders of the Murion Islands - Diveplanit Travel’s Deborah Dickson-Smith provides a guide to WA’s Coral Coast
Photographs by Dive Ningaloo and Tourism Western Australia
The beauty of diving in Western Australia is that you can do it year round. Whether you plan to visit in whaleshark season (Mar-Sep) to get up close with the ocean’s biggest fish, or in Dec to Mar to catch the turtle mating season, you won’t be disappointed any time of year.
The unusual coastline of Western Australia
The UNESCO Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area,
established in 2011, stretches from Carnarvon in the south to Exmouth in the north. This fringing reef here extends out from the shore for two to three kilometres and has a wide variety of topography and depth range. Diving areas are divided into two areas - West Side and the Muiron Islands. Many dive sites can be accessed on day trips and can also be experienced on a liveaboard trip with Sail Ningaloo from Coral Bay.
Ningaloo’s West Side Story
West Side is situated on the western side of the Cape Range peninsula and is exposed to ocean swells that travel from South Africa. It has visibility anywhere between ten metres up to 40 metres depending on the time of year and weather conditions. West Side is where the whalesharks, humpback whales, manta rays, dugongs, spinner dolphins and orcas are usually sighted. The reef here is mainly made up of hard corals with large impressive structures and surge channels.
Blizzard Ridge in Lighthouse Bay is named for the abundance of glassfish that turn the site into a snow blizzard. With a maximum depth of 14m, it is also known for its impressive fish life as well as regular sightings of reef sharks and sea snakes. Also in Lighthouse Bay, Labyrinth is known for its regular turtle sightings and schools of striped snapper. Nearby Nick’s Lumps has three pinnacles that rise
Grouper surrounded by glassfish
Warroora Station, south of Coral Bay © Tourism Western Australia
from 18m up to a depth of 10m at the top and has impressive hard coral structures. This is a large site with a big area to explore, worth diving more than once.
Beverly Hills is a deeper dive, from 16m-24m, and consists of large, dense rising coral structures. This vast site is great for seeing sharks and larger pelagic fish. Three Fins is a shallower dive, reaching a depth of 16m, and is known for its gullies and overhangs full of glassfish. The impressive Dave’s Bommies site comprises vast mounds of coral rising from 18m to 8m, home to a large amount of fish life and nudibranchs. Milyering Passage is a shallow dive of 7m on the inside of the lagoon with large Porites corals and many types of crustations sighted at night. Hole in the Wall has large swim-throughs, with big schools of fish to be found sheltering on the shadowy structure. This site has a maximum depth of 16m. At a depth of 18m, Mandu Pinnacles has classic spur and groove shaped coral channels and large schools of grazing convict surgeonfish. Sand Patch is a shallower dive at around 6m-12m, a large sandy bottom fringed by overhangs and hard corals. Reef sharks and manta rays are commonly sighted.
Floats is around 12m-14m deep with varying structure, rocky outcrops and large hard corals. A good site for spotting mantas and turtles. Dibley’s Drop Off is further out from the reef edge, ranging from 16m-24m with swimthroughs full of cod. Gulliver’s in Lighthouse Bay is around
Predators swarm around the corals
Manta rays and turtle
14m deep and a good spot for more unusual marine life such as frogfish and mantis shrimp in the rocky outcrops.
Muiron Islands Signature Sites
The Muiron Islands are located on the edge of the Exmouth Gulf. The Gulf is located on the Eastern side of Cape Range peninsular, and water flows in and out of the Gulf past the Muiron Islands, providing an abundance of nutrients that makes the islands a soft coral paradise. Visibility at the islands is anywhere between eight to 20 metres and depths range from 5m-20m. The Exmouth Gulf and the Muiron Islands are predominantly known for the soft coral gardens and micro fauna such as nudibranchs, however humpback whales and manta rays also use the protected waters to rest and feed. Cod Spot is on the west side of South Muiron island. This site is one of the deeper sites at the islands with a maximum depth of 16m. The Muiron Islands are known for their rich, healthy and vibrant soft corals . Cod Spot is aptly named for sightings of many different species of cod as well as having a large rock cleaning station with a good chance of seeing manta rays.
Fraggle Rock is a shallow site, between 8m-12m and comprises two large pinnacles covered in soft corals. Look for nudibranchs as you circle the pinnacles. Aquarium features a lovely overhang covered in sea fans and a swimthrough. Depths range from 12m to reef top at 5m, great for hanging out with beautiful coral during your safety stop.
Whalebone is a favourite among divers. Large swimthroughs and an abundance of soft corals are a highlight at this shallow site. Maximum 8m allowing for lots of light and perfect for photography. Seeing this site at night is completely different as the feather stars and other echinoderms are active and the swim throughs are mesmerising in the dark.
Freediver at Blizzard Ridge
Shoal of Fish at Ningaloo Reef, Coral Bay © Tourism Western Australia © @jakewiltonphotoon
Aerial view of snorkellers
Warroora Station, south of Coral Bay © Tourism Western Australia
The Spit is on the west side of North Muiron and features three large swim-throughs filled with glassfish. Maximum depth on this wall dive is 18m, the reef top covered with soft coral gardens. The Maze named as such as the whole sites features tunnels and swim-throughs linking to each other. Maximum depth 12m and again featuring plenty of the soft corals that the west side of these islands are known for.
East Side Bommies has a maximum depth of 8m and is known for its many huge porites coral bommies. These corals are impressive at around 500 years old. A great dive for macro photography, with numerous nudibranch, shrimps, cowries, tube worms and crabs.
Exmouth Navy Pier
Exmouth’s Navy Pier is best described as an aquarium without glass and has a reputation as one of the top 10 shore dives in the world, primarily due the abundant and biodiverse marine life found here.
Over 200 fish species have been identified under the
Pier and as with any jetty dive, underwater navigation is easy. The pier structure itself is covered in soft corals - you could spend several days diving the site and not be bored. Expect to see wobbegongs, giant potato cod, lion, angler, stone and scorpion fish; moray eels, octopus, large schools of trevally and huge rays dozing in the sand.
Aerial shot of Coral Bay
Coral Bay © Tourism Western Australia Ningaloo Reef, Coral Bay © Tourism Western Australia © @huntingforparadise
As the pier is still a working naval base, and to protect the amazing diversity of fish life, all dives must be guided, and though neither navigation nor depth are challenging, the dive site is subject to tidal flow, and Navy Pier can only be dived at slack water. Dive guests should have a minimum of Open Water certification and logged at least 30 dives.
Whaleshark Swims
Ningaloo Reef’s remarkable eco-system attracts hundreds of whalesharks with its abundance of naturally-occurring food that starts with the annual spawning of coral in March, and continues with the upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from the continental shelf that lies beneath Ningaloo. With plankton drifting closer to the surface, whalesharks gather en masse at Ningaloo to take advantage of easy, abundant feeding.
There are a number of tour operators to choose from for a whaleshark encounter, most of which send out spotter planes each morning to locate the sharks before heading out, with some including Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks offering a ‘Whaleshark Good Swim Guarantee’.
Humpback Whale Swims
Thousands of humpback whales grace waters off Exmouth from June through to the end of October, as they make their migratory journey north from the Antarctic for mating and calving, and return south for the summer feeding grounds. During their migration cycle, over 40,000 humpbacks use Ningaloo as a resting area between the the northern feeding grounds and their Antarctic home. Again, spotter planes are used to locate the gentle giants before the tour operators head out, and guests have a choice of watching them from the boat or swimming with them in small groups.
Abrolhos Islands
Further south, the city of Geraldton is the jump-off point for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands. Lying in the stream of western Australia’s warm, southward-flowing Leeuwin Current, expect to both tropical and temperate marine life as well as marine mammals like the Australian sea lion, bottlenose dolphins and green turtles. Sea lions can be seen playing in the waters or basking on coral beaches in the sun at Peos Island, and if you’re visiting between July and October, keep your eyes peeled for migrating humpback whales.
The Abrolhos Islands are also famous for wrecks. The beautiful but treacherous reef-surrounded atolls have claimed many ships over the centuries, the most notable being the Batavia in 1629. Divers can explore the Batavia shipwreck site on a three-to-five-day liveaboard trip with Eco Abrolhos Cruises, although the dive is weather dependent. n
For more information on diving Western Australia’s Coral Coast, contact the team of experts at Diveplanit.com
IS 2022 THE YEAR TO BOOK YOUR ‘BUCKET LIST’ DIVE TRIP?
After two long years of border closures and
lockdowns, many of us are starting to think about enjoying the here and now, while we still can, and booking those big ‘bucket list’ trips! In fact, many resorts and liveaboards in these ‘bucket list’ destinations are already heavily booked through to 2024! Here are a few ideas for the here and now…
Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Located 550km off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, Cocos Island is one of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. Being so far offshore, similar to the Galapagos Islands 1,000km further south, Cocos is an oceanic island offering divers a pelagic experience. The presence of cleaner fish attracts large schools of hammerhead and other shark species as well as many other pelagics, including barracuda, giant trevally and jacks. Oceanic manta rays and whalesharks are also known to feed in the nutrient-rich waters.
Cocos Island is both tectonic and volcanic in origin and its remote oceanic location means it is only accessible by liveaboard. The island has about 20 dive sites all in compact locations, from shallow to steep vertical walls, to whitetip feeding frenzies and schools of snapper and grunts.
Galapagos, Ecuador
This remote volcanic archipelago is considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing, above and below water. Its isolated terrain shelters a wide diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos’ species later inspired his theory of evolution.
There are fantastic dives on many of the islands, though several islands are stand outs, including Darwin Island where there are often huge schools of pelagic species including hammerhead and Galapagos sharks, as well as some whimsical geologic formations. El Arco is renowned as one of the best dives in the world. On Isabela Island you can swim with sea lions and penguins and at Roca Redonda, sharks teem around an underwater volcano. The endemic wildlife here is spectacular and are completely contained within this detached location. You can expect to see marine iguanas, fur seals, and penguins during a dive, as well as manta rays and tunas.
Socorro, Mexico
On the east coast of Mexico, sailing to Socorro takes around 20 to 26 hours and the main attraction here is the population of giant oceanic manta rays that come regularly to the island’s cleaning stations from November through to June.
From February to April, you can also expect to see humpback whales and from April to June, schooling hammerheads. There are also common sightings of silky, Galapagos, hammerhead, whitetip and silvertip sharks, and whalesharks are usually spotted at the beginning of and the latter part of the season.
A highlight is the dive site Roca O’Neal, or Hammerhead Central, a pinnacle with a plateau at about 10m, where you can basically sit and watch the many shark species pass by in the current. Photographers may also wish to explore the cavern below.
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Being both remote and having one of the lowest population densities makes diving Raja Ampat simply stunning in respect of the unspoiled nature of the marine environment. It breaks records for biodiversity of all types of species from coral to fish and several Marine Protected Areas have been established.
Raja Ampat means Four Kings and refers to the four principal islands of Batanta, Misool, Salawati and Waigeo. There are plenty of resorts and liveaboards offering diving throughout the area. Raja Ampat can be dived any time of year, the water temperature being between 28° and 30°C. It can be a windy between mid-June to September, so the liveaboard season runs from November to April.
Bikini Atoll, Micronesia
Located in the remote Marshall Islands near Micronesia, Bikini Atoll is one of the world’s most famous wreck diving destinations. Between 1946 and 1958 the US tested 67 nuclear bombs here, most notably during ‘Operation Crossroads’. Nowhere else can you dive such a fantastic collection of wrecks, including battleships, submarines, destroyers, and most notably the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. Over 60 years later, this nuclear ghost fleet rest in clear blue water and have since become home to an abundance of marine life with thriving reefs and corals. The region has only been open to diving since 1996, making this destination a one-of-a-kind combination of historic wrecks in a remote and otherwise untouched tropical paradise. n
Talk to Diveplanit Travel’s experts to plan your bucket list dive trip! Diveplanit.com Email: enquire@diveplanit.com Phone: 1800 607 913 Dive Clubs: we offer the best group rates for resorts and liveaboards. Contact groups manager jess@diveplanit.com for more information.
