Australia’s best dive and snorkel trips

Whether you’re an experienced diver or looking to become one, why hone your skills at home when you can do it in one of the best diving destinations in the world? While you can take your PADI scuba certification at home, if you’re not near a large body of water (or if it’s frozen over this time of year), you’ll be relegated to a swimming pool. If that’s the case, you may want to consider taking your certification (or logging some dives) abroad, whether that’s Koh Tao in Thailand or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

It also means you get access to seasoned instructors who know the best spots for diving and the best times to see various types of marine life. And, if you head out on a boat and discover you get a panic attack every time you attempt to get in the water with a breathing apparatus strapped to your body, it’s not a complete waste – you can always snorkel or chill out on the boat with a beer.

In Australia, you’ve got lots of options for introductory and advanced dives, including ribbon and coral sea reefs, whale and shark diving and even heli-diving. If you’re traveling with someone who doesn’t want to dive, opt for a trip that includes visits to island beaches, underwater observatories and glass-bottomed boats.

Taka Dive Adventures – The Minke Whale Expedition aboard the 100-foot Mono Hull offers a chance to visit the Ribbon Reefs and interact with dwarf minke whales. Taka Dive has worked with CRC Research and James Cook University on whale research programs since 1995 and has discovered favoured sites along the Ribbon Reefs to encounter whales (and the skipper is a trained zoologist). Or try the five-day Cod Hole and Coral Sea Dive Trip, which includes a shark feed where you can spot grey whalers, silvertip and white tip reef sharks. This trip also offers five different advanced certification courses to advance your skills.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions – If you’re looking for a “four star” diving experience, check out the seven-night Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef Safari on Spoilsport, a 100-foot Catamaran, a trip that allows for up to 24 dives and four night dives. This trip, which takes you to the Ribbon Reefs and further out into the Coral Sea at Osprey Reef, offers a bit of everything, from diving among coral gardens to dramatic wall dives. The twin hull boat also offers a lounge and bar, as well as E6 photo processing.

Indepth Scuba: With two locations in Canberra and Batemans Bay, this dive shop offers a diverse range of PADI courses, including deep diver, deep cavern, wreck diver, Nitrox diver and underwater navigation/night certification, as well as underwater photography, rescue diver and instructor development courses. One package, called Learn to Dive, is a five-day course that includes two days of training followed by three days at the Great Barrier Reef, with a total of 10 different diving sessions including one night dive.

Adrenalin Dive – For more advanced divers, try a three-night Yongala Wreck and Great Barrier Reef dive trip aboard the 65-foot Mono Hull, allowing for eight dives, plus two night dives. The Yongala wreck is a world-class dive site known for attracting an abundance of big fish. While diving on the reef isn’t too technical, the Yongala wreck requires open water certification and at least six logged dives with deep dive training as a minimum requirement.

Ocean Spirit Cruises: For snorkelers or those who might want to try an introductory dive (or those who don’t want to get wet), consider a one-day Great Barrier Reef Sail and Dive Trip visiting Upolu Cay aboard an 82-foot Catamaran. On this trip, you’ll visit either Oyster Reef or Arlington Reef, where you can snorkel or take an introductory or certified dive. Then head to Upolu Cay, which offers calm conditions and a shallow sandy bottom for first-timers. Snorkelers can opt to take one or two introductory dives or experience the reef by taking a tour on a glass-bottomed boat.

Dolphin Dive Fremantle – If you’re in Western Australia, this dive shop offers diving and snorkeling trips to Rottnest Island, a limestone-based island with deep crevices, caverns and a maze of caves to explore. In spring spot humpback whales and in autumn hang out with grey nurse sharks.

Photo Credit: Tourism Australia