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If you have dived in Ningaloo Reef before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Ningaloo Reef.
Table of contents
Best Dive Review
The Ningaloo Reef stretches for over 260 km! It is much closer to the shore than the Great Barrier Reef and is also much less popular. So if you don’t like the crowds, the Ningaloo Reef may be a good alternative for you.
The coral on the Ningaloo Reef is very beautiful but the majority of divers come here to try spot a Whale Shark! These gentle giants congregate around the Ningaloo Reef to feed in the water which is full of plankton from March to June. Your best chances to see them is during April and May.
If you aren’t lucky enough to see any Whale Sharks, the diving certainly makes up for it! During the winter months you may also encounter Manta Rays! Dolphins and Humpback Whales are very common too as well as Turtles as they come here to nest on the beaches.
The Ningaloo Reef is also a great place for Critter lovers and for Underwater Macro Photography with many invertebrates to discover. There is a very unusual dive site named Navy Pier with stunning Marine life, a real paradise for photography. In fact, the Navy Pier spot has been voted one of the Top Ten Dive Sites here on Divezone!
How to dive Ningaloo Reef?
You can easily dive the Ningaloo Reef on a day trip but if you want to dive more remote places and check out less dived parts of the reef, then you might be better taking a Liveaboard tour for a few days. I usually use this website to book in advance my Liveaboards in Australia as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because they have an easy booking system.
Where to stay?
I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Ningaloo Reef as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.
Top liveaboards in Ningaloo Reef according to divers reviews
Snorkelling in Ningaloo Reef
The Ningaloo Reef offers fantastic opportunities for snorkellers too. The local dive operators even organize snorkelling tours to go swimming with Whale Sharks. They use spotter planes to be sure to find the Sharks and you will then have the chance to swim with several of them in the same trip if you’re lucky!
Unfortunately, due to the costs of using the plane and boat, these trips can be quite expensive, at around $400. If it is not the right season for spotting Whale Sharks, you can still discover superb and shallow coral gardens.
If you are in Coral Bay, you can also snorkel on the reef directly off the beach. Snorkelling gear is available for rent close to the beach.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertpaulyoung/2770115921/
Diving Safety
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Ningaloo Reef, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Photos Ningaloo Reef
Travel Guide
Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Ningaloo Reef Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.
US Navy pier was my first dive and so far the most unforgettable! Saw lion fish, bat fish, barracudas, huge potato cod, yellow box fish, white tip reef sharks, moray eel, nudibranchs, many different wrasse, trevally, sail fin catfish, milk fish, and flutemouth!! Best dive spot!
Question for Jessica – What was the water temperature like?
It was a comfortable 24 degrees celsius when i was there in March 2010!
I’ve been diving around the world for the last 8 years. Ningaloo has been one of my favourite desitnations because it has everything! Whale sharks, Manta Rays, dolphins, dugongs, sharks, humpback whales and heaps more fishlife. The conditions and visibility vary throughout the year but my personal opinion is that April-June is the best time to get a bit of everything.
I’m heading to Ningaloo next month…. what sites or dive companies would you recommend for a day out on the reef? I’ll be diving the Navy Pier as well, but perhaps will do another day out too…
I went diving on a sail and diving liveaboard there in 2017. Awesome trip. It was great because it was a small group and there were literally no other diving operators in the area where they were going. We saw Manta Rays and Humpback whales, heaps of turtles and reef sharks. Definitely recommend Sail Ningaloo for a trip.
Hi Luke!
Thank you for reviewing this diving area! Nice to have an up-to-date review of the Ningaloo reef! I’m glad you’ve had a great time!
Safe bubbles!
I can only dive in Australia at the end of January 2019
Where is the best place to dive at that time of year? Is Ningaloo Reef still one of the best?
Many thanks