Diving

Diving in Busselton and Dunsborough is some of the best in Australia. You can dive on one of Australia’s top 10 artificial reefs, or through an ex-Royal Australian Navy Frigate! Snorkelling is great right around the bay, and there are dive shops and schools to assist you in enjoying the magical underwater world.

Busselton Jetty - Noted as one of Australia’s top 10 Dive sites in the January 2008 edition of ‘Travelling in Australia’ Magazine, the Busselton Jetty is home to over 300 species of marine life! This is a great recreational dive, as the water depth is a maximum of 9 meters, which provides you with some great bottom time. The jetty has been around for over 140 years, and over that time a fantastic ‘forest’ of coral has attached itself to the wooden pylons.

The Leeuwin current travels past Geographe Bay each year, and brings with it the warm waters of the North, and the tropical and sub-tropical fish species. This is one of the few places in the world, this far south, where you can such a wide variety of marine life. Check out the live web cams from the Underwater Observatory to see the conditions for the day.

The Busselton Jetty can be accessed from the shore of the Busselton Beachfront, swimming the 1.8km out for the best viewing, or can you walk along the jetty and jump in from several platforms along the way. Local dive shops also provides charters to take you out to the end.

Remember, when diving on the Busselton Jetty to endure you remain 10 meters from the windows of the Underwater Observatory.

HMAS SWAN WRECK -  The HMAS Swan was a Royal Australian Navy River Class Frigate Destroyer built in 1967. Costing a staggering 22 million dollars it was the most expensive warship ever built in Australia!  After travelling around 800,000 nautical miles through Australian and Asian waters, she came to her final resting place on 14 December 1997. Located 1.3km off Point Piquet near the popular town of Dunsborough, the HMAS Swan sits in around 30 meters of water and was the first Navy vessel to be sunk as a dive wreck. At 113 meters in length and 23 meters high she is a brilliant dive for all levels of diver experience. Today it is home to a wide range of marine life, and provides a fun and fascinating dive.

If you are interested in diving on the wreck, there are several local dive companies who conduct charters to the site. Check out the tours section of the website for details of local dive companies. If you are equipped with your own boat and dive equipment, there are mooring buoys available in the vicinity of the wreck and an access permit is needed. A small fee is payable with money raised contributing to the cost of ongoing maintenance of moorings, navigation lights and the site. On purchasing your permit, you will be issued with the guidelines for the use of moorings and diving the site. Please use the moorings that have been placed around the site; anchoring is not permitted for safety reasons.

REEF DIVING -  In addition to the Busselton Jetty there is also a range of other diving options, located further out in the bay. Four Mile Reef, Coral Gardens, Peppermint Beach and Wright Bank are all sites around the Geographe Bay area that provide a variety of diving.

Snorkelling - As well as being a great home for diving, Geographe Bay is fantastic for snorkeling. Check out the great marine life on the Busselton Jetty, or head further around the bay to snorkel in the beautiful beaches of Meelup and Eagle Bay. Yallingup Lagoon is also a great spot to see some fish in the summer months.