Location:
Stretching over 260 km along Western Australia’s remote Coral Coast, Ningaloo Reef runs just meters from the shoreline making it one of the world’s most accessible fringing reefs.
 
Why it’s a top dive destination:
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ningaloo offers pristine coral gardens and encounters with some of the ocean’s biggest visitors. Each year, whale sharks and manta rays migrate through its turquoise waters, while turtles, reef sharks, and clouds of reef fish patrol the shallows.
 
Highlights:
Whale shark season (March–July)
Manta rays and humpback whales (June–October)
Coral gardens and lagoons at Turquoise Bay
Drift dives and turtle nesting along the reef edge
 
Fun Fact:
Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo sits right off the beach, you can literally wade in from shore and find yourself swimming over a living coral reef within minutes.