This is the twenty-ninth in a series which introduces and describes the various dive services and sites for worldwide liveaboard dive safaris. This one will focus on Ningaloo, Western Australia.
For liveaboard reviews of Australia diving in the Outer Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, Neptune Islands great white shark dives, and Rowley Shoals, please click on this title:
In addition to this series on liveaboards, the best worldwide dive resort locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards / Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.
Have you ever been diving on Ningaloo Reef before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Scuba Diving Ningaloo Reef
Ningaloo Reef is situated about mid-way between Broome and Perth in Western Australia. It is reasonably remote but is accessible by air, bus or car. Exmouth, the biggest town in the area is served by Learmonth Airport about 20 miles (37 km) away.
Without much nightlife, the main attractions are natural resources. Ningaloo Reef is one of the few pristine reefs left and is part of the Ningaloo Marine Park. Nearby is the wildlife-rich Cape Range National Park and, in addition to resorts, hotels and backpacker lodges, there are camping sites and caravan parks. The seaside is also well known for snorkeling and surfing.
Scuba diving highlights are whale sharks, humpback whales, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, stingrays, green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles, reef sharks and large groupers.
The diving depth range is 5-40 meters (16-130 feet), but most of the best diving on this rich and bio-diverse reef is at 21 meters (70 feet) or less, making it suitable for all diver levels.
Visibility ranges from 5-30 meters (16-100 feet) but is often from 10-20 meters (35-70 feet). It is generally sunny year round with a wet season in May and June and a dry season from August to December. Daily temperature highs range from 25-35°C (77-95°F) with the warmest in the southern hemisphere summer (December to March), and the coolest in winter (June to August). The water temperature also varies based on the season, ranging from 19-28°C (66-82°F).
Seasonal attractions:
- March-July: whale sharks
- July-November: humpback whales, dolphins
- November-January: hawksbill turtle nesting
- January-March: hawksbill turtle hatching
Reef Summary
- Depth: 5-40m
- Visibility: 5-30m
- Currents: usually gentle
- Surface conditions: relatively calm
- Air temperature: 25-35°C (77-95°F)
- Water temperature:19-28°C (66-82°F)
- Experience level: beginner-advanced
Ningaloo Liveaboard Dive Boats
There is only the one liveaboard boat cruising Ningaloo Reef. This is a family owned catamaran serving a maximum of 10 guests. Though small, it has most of the comforts of much larger yachts, and the cozy camaraderie and excitement of a speedy sailboat.
- 3-9 night itineraries to Ningaloo Reef
- Daily housekeeping, air-conditioned saloon, aircon cabins, en-suite bathrooms, indoor saloon, warm water showers
- Western, local and vegetarian food, outdoor dining
- Charging stations
- Sun deck
- Separate rinse for u/w camera
- English speaking crew
- Onboard kayaks
- Non-diver (snorkeler) friendly
- Dive deck
- Tenders for diving
- Emergency rafts
| Shore Thing | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Length | 30 m |
| Guests | 10 |
| Equipment | BCD & Regs $120/3 nights $180/5 nights $290/9 nights |
| Nitrox | No |
| Snorkel Friendly | Yes |
| Price/Day | $309 |
Ningaloo Accommodation
The Exmouth/Ningaloo/Coral Bay area has several dive shops and quite a few hotels and resorts of varying levels. The Shore Thing liveaboards take up to ten days but can be as short as three. If your cruise is on the short end of the range or you would like to spend time on shore among the wildlife of the Cape Range National Park, hiking and exploring, or take in the sun and surf action of the beach, then hooking up with local accommodation might be suitable. This website can introduce options and help arrange a booking:
Ningaloo Photo Opportunities
With the macro life, beautiful, diverse coral reef and lots of fish, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
For liveaboard reviews of Australia diving in the Outer Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, Neptune Islands great white shark dives, and Rowley Shoals, please click on this title:
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Ningaloo Reef scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
I have never gone scuba diving, even though it’s something I have dreamt about for many years now. Reading your article has really given me such an urge to try it out. The Ningaloo Reef looks amazing and you provide so much information about it that anyone interested will definitely find this article helpful. Reading this article gave me the opportunity to check a few others of your articles also and you describe everything in amazing detail. I will for sure bookmark this page for future reference. Thank you!
Hi Stratos,
Thanks a lot for checking out my site and leaving such kind comments. I am glad you are considering to try scuba diving.
If you want to learn to dive it is not too difficult. The basic open water diver class takes about 4 days and includes some study, 5 shallow water classes to learn the skills and 4 open water dives to practice the skills and have a supervised introduction to the undersea world. You can take a class like this in many places including the resorts and a great many of the liveaboards that I review here on my site. Near where you live there also could well be a suitable place. I suggest that if you are interested you can browse the different locations and see if there are any that particularly attract you. If you would like some help to find a good spot for you to do it, please let me know.
Aside from the full course, if you just want to give diving a try, there is a brief “discover scuba diving” where you go over some basic diving theory and safety issues, do a training session in the pool and then go for a shallow open water dive under extremely close supervision by an instructor. That takes only a few hours and gives you a taste.
Let me know what you think. I’d love to see you become a diver.
Best regards,
Joe
Kudos for a well written, detailed and descriptive article about Ningaloo Reef holidays. Readers can feel the pulse of the adventure and the fun obtainable at the destination by just going through your blog. I must say that the cruise available is really nice with amazing features for an affordable fee.
I’ll recommend this destination to some one planning for a vacation.
Hi Zuchii,
It’s good to see you again in the comments. Thanks a lot for your support and any recommendations you give to others.
I hope to see you get involved in diving before too long. Please get in touch if you have any questions or need some advice about it.
Best regards,
Joe
Wow! I love your site. When I was 12 yo there was a dive shop 1/2 mile from my house. I would go there and talk with the owner. I was too young to take up SCUBA at the time. A couple of months later we moved. I have always been intrigued by this sport but have never tried it. I do snorkel, but only lakes. Your site is Dramatic! Great photos, great links to YouTube videos. Great gear reviews with links to vendors. I read reviews on the BCDs, the regulators, and the rebreathers. I didn’t see any SCUBA tanks, have rebreathers taken over? I will return to your site again.
Hey oneoldtimer,
To one from another, thanks a lot for your kind comments and for taking a look at so much of my site.
I haven’t gotten around to doing a review of tanks yet. They are kind of a generic item, but there are some finer points I could emphasize and variations in the valves to be discussed, as well.
Why don’t you give diving a try as it is kind of a life-long interest of yours? Anyone can give it a shot if there are no major health issues. If you would like some advice on what it takes and where to do it, please let me know. Most of the resort areas and liveaboards can do an open water course. Otherwise, a brief discovery dive can be done out of any dive center.
Please get in touch with any news, questions or feedback.
Best regards,
Joe