- Open Water course
- A$575
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- Perth's own metro coastline (Marmion Marine Park, Rockingham/Coogee) offers genuinely easy shore diving with no boat needed — a good option if you don't want to book a charter.
- Rottnest Island diving is a same-day boat trip from Fremantle or Hillarys, not an overnight liveaboard — but the furthest west-end sites like Shark Cave can involve 1–2 hours of boat travel each way.
- The two most famous WA wreck dives, HMAS Swan and Busselton Jetty, are not actually near Perth city — they're a 2.5–3 hour drive south near Dunsborough/Busselton, so budget a full day trip or an overnight stay rather than expecting a quick boat ride from Perth.
- Diving is possible year-round in Perth, but summer (roughly December–April) typically brings the best visibility and calmest conditions, especially around Rottnest.
- A 5mm wetsuit plus hood is commonly recommended even outside winter if you're not used to Perth's water temperatures.
- Shore diving is genuinely a big part of the Perth scene — several shops run free or low-cost weekly club shore dives, which is a cheap way to keep diving after certification without booking a boat.
- If a Rottnest Island boat day is important to you, check whether it's already bundled into the course price (some shops include it, others charge it as a 'premium' add-on) before comparing quotes between operators.
- Pricing for Open Water certification varies noticeably by shop and by whether you book a group course or private 1-on-1 tuition — get a direct quote rather than assuming the lowest advertised price applies to your dates.
Additional Ad Hoc Costs
- Single Boat Dive
- A$55
- Gear Rental Per Course Or Day
- A$60
- Full Personal Dive Kit Purchase
- A$2,000
- Double Boat Dive To Rottnest Island
- A$165
Discover Scuba Try Dive
- Currency Local
- AUD
- Amount USD Range
- 55-277
- Amount Local Range
- 79-399
Operator Density
- Summary
- Perth has a genuinely healthy spread of named, independent dive operators rather than just one or two — this research turned up at least 8-10 distinct named shops/operators around the metro area, plus additional smaller ones referenced in reviews.
Named Operators Found
- Perth Scuba (Canning Vale) - described as Western Australia's largest dive shop and a PADI Career Development Centre, training from Open Water through Divemaster, Instructor, and beyond, with its own Rottnest Island dive boat
- Bucket List Diver - uses private vessels (Moonshine2, Linni) capped at 12 divers for Rottnest Island trips
- Perth Diving Academy (Hillarys, also serving Balcatta) - operating since 2005, the only Perth shop with an indoor heated pool and in-house equipment testing facility
- Perth Ocean Diving - runs try-dives, PADI courses, Rottnest boat trips and Margaret River/Dunsborough overnight dive trips
- Scuba Obsession - runs courses plus overseas dive trips (e.g. Gili Air)
- Dive Superstore
- DIVETUB Dive Centre
- Oceano Dive Centre
- Sorrento Quay Dive Shop
- Scuba Imports
- Indi Dive (smaller/independent operator referenced in customer reviews)
Rottnest Island Sites
- Access
- Rottnest Island sits about 19km off the Perth coast and is reached via day-boat charters (roughly 25–45 minutes by boat from Fremantle/Hillarys marinas, with the furthest west-end sites 1–2 hours' travel); it is not a shore dive from the mainland, but is comfortably a same-day round trip, not a liveaboard.
Sites
Shark Cave (Also Called Nurses Quarters)
- Type
- reef/cave
- Depth
- Around 24–26m at the main cave/arc
- Best Season
- Autumn is favoured for reliably encountering the sharks; summer (Dec–Apr) gives the best visibility generally
- Marine Life
- Named for the Grey Nurse sharks that congregate here, sometimes 15 or more on a dive, alongside wobbegong sharks and large smooth stingrays; also swim-throughs and caves in the surrounding reef.
- Notes
- Furthest west end of Rottnest, longest boat transfer of the island sites; cave entry requires appropriate certification.
Crystal Palace
- Type
- limestone reef with swim-throughs
- Marine Life
- Colourful limestone reef system; named because divers' bubbles rise visibly through holes in the reef like crystals.
- Notes
- One of the most popular Rottnest dive sites.
Roe Reef
- Type
- reef with swim-throughs and caverns
- Marine Life
- Schools of vibrant fish, western blue devils, crayfish, wobbegong sharks, octopus and cuttlefish.
Parker Point Wall / Snorkel Trail
- Type
- wall dive + interpretive snorkel trail
- Depth
- Top of wall around 5m, base around 10m
- Marine Life
- Dozens of crayfish commonly huddle together in cracks along the wall; the adjacent snorkel trail has 12 seabed interpretive plaques on flora and marine life.
- Notes
- Located in the southeastern corner of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island.
Jack's Patch
- Type
- reef (north/south limestone strip)
- Depth
- Average 15m, shallowest ~13m, deeper to 22–27m on south/west sides
- Marine Life
- Good hard and soft coral cover, swim-throughs, ledges and one large cave at the northern end; diverse marine ecosystem.
- Notes
- Off Salmon Bay, about a 50-minute boat ride.
North Point Reef
- Type
- unique limestone trench
- Depth
- Average 18m, max 26m; trench itself about 8m deep and 3–4m wide
- Notes
- Sunlight shines through the trench/valley in a distinctive effect.
3 Wrecks (Thomson Bay)
- Type
- shallow multi-wreck site
- Depth
- Around 8m
- Wrecks
- Macedon (1883), Denton Holme (1890) and the Transit (1842)
- Notes
- Easy, shallow site from a boat mooring, good for beginners.
The Shark (Hopper Barge) at Henrietta Rocks
- Type
- shallow wreck
- Depth
- Very shallow, only ~50m from shore
- Notes
- Rottnest's most accessible shipwreck; smooth, shallow bay suitable for those still building water confidence.
Kiryo Maru I (Near Cathedral Rocks)
- Type
- wreck
- Notes
- One of several easy-to-reach Rottnest wrecks suitable for snorkellers as well as divers.
Ship's Graveyard ("Shallow Wreck" and Clipper Wreck)
- Type
- deep technical wreck site
- Depth
- Around 58m ("Shallow Wreck") and 65m (Clipper Wreck)
- Notes
- West of Rottnest; technical-diver territory only, explored by very few local clubs — not a recreational site.
Perth Metro Shore And Short Boat Sites
- Access
- These are genuine shore dives or very short boat rides from Perth's coastal suburbs, no day-trip travel required.
Sites
Omeo Shipwreck (Coogee Maritime Trail)
- Type
- shallow shore wreck dive/snorkel
- Depth
- Around 2–4m at the shallowest, visible sternpost and bow sections
- Location
- Coogee, Cockburn
- Marine Life
- Nudibranchs, sea squirts, Shaw's cowfish and colourful marine growth on the wreck.
- Notes
- One of WA's most popular shore dives; part of an educational maritime trail with underwater plaques and sculptures.
Rockingham Wreck Trail / Churchill Park Dive Trail
- Type
- shore dive trail, small purpose-sunk wrecks
- Depth
- Shallow, about a 60m wade out from shore
- Location
- Rockingham foreshore
- Marine Life
- Western Australian seahorses, wrasse, blennies, sea stars, eels; features small wrecks, small aircraft, a chicken coop and a tyre reef encrusted in soft corals and sponges.
- Notes
- Been visited by local divers for close to 40 years; very easy shore access via Flinders Lane car park.
Ammo Jetty
- Type
- jetty/macro dive
- Location
- Woodman Point
- Marine Life
- Hermit crabs, baby eels, plenty of octopus, and a resident sea lion.
- Notes
- Popular with Open Water divers with some experience; easy to stir up silt so buoyancy control matters.
SS Orizaba
- Type
- wreck (former 3,325-tonne liner)
- Depth
- Average and max around 12m
- Notes
- Regarded by local divers as probably the best wreck dive in Perth metro waters, though weather has reduced much of the structure; the steering gear on the eastern end is still impressive.
Marmion Marine Park (Boyinaboat Reef, North Lump, Cow Rock)
- Type
- reef, shore-accessible
- Location
- About 10 minutes north of Perth
- Marine Life
- Blue gropers, crayfish, Port Jackson sharks, and intricate coral formations.
- Notes
- Easy shore access and a favourite among local divers.
Mettams Pool
- Type
- protected shallow reef pool
- Location
- Trigg
- Notes
- Considered ideal for beginner divers and snorkellers due to its protected waters.
Hillarys Boat Harbour Dive Site
- Type
- open-water/shallow harbour dive
- Depth
- Average 4m, max 7m
Alkimos Wreck
- Type
- collapsed wreck
- Depth
- About 3m
- Location
- Near Shorehaven, reached via Mindarie Marina boat ramp
- Notes
- Now largely collapsed; requires a short boat launch rather than a direct shore entry.
D9 Dredge and Saxon Ranger
- Type
- wrecks, protected from ocean swell
- Depth
- Saxon Ranger in about 18m
- Location
- Cockburn Sound / Warnbro Sound
- Notes
- Sheltered from swell so generally intact, but both are known for average visibility; D9 is also a popular fishing spot and can be crowded with boats.
Highland Forest Wreck
- Type
- historic wreck (lost 1901)
- Location
- Murray Reefs, off Port Kennedy
- Notes
- Much of the wreck is covered in kelp; bow and mast sections still stand proud, with a nearby complex of caves and swim-throughs.
Chalmers Wreck
- Type
- shallow wooden barque wreck (lost 1874)
- Location
- Murray Reefs
- Notes
- Small site with little wreckage immediately visible, but interesting on a slow, careful look through the shallow kelp.
Sepia Wreck
- Type
- cargo wreck
- Depth
- Around 10m
- Location
- Channel between Carnac and Garden Islands
- Notes
- Still has numerous bottles stacked in the hold and is legally protected from interference.
K XI Submarine (Royal Dutch Navy)
- Type
- submarine wreck
- Depth
- Around 38m
- Location
- West of Rottnest
- Notes
- A 66m WWII-era Dutch submarine scuttled in 1946; its wreck location was only rediscovered in 2025, roughly 15km from its recorded scuttling position. Considered a challenging but achievable depth for recreational divers and a work-up site for technical divers.
Day Trip Or Overnight Wreck Sites Further Afield
- Honesty Note
- These are frequently marketed as 'Perth diving' but are physically located near Dunsborough/Busselton, about a 2.5–3 hour drive (roughly 225km) south of Perth in the Margaret River region — genuinely reachable as a long day trip or more comfortably an overnight stay, not a boat ride from the city.
Sites
HMAS Swan
- Type
- wreck (scuttled naval destroyer escort)
- Depth
- Depth range about 9–32m; top of the communications tower around 8m, upper deck around 15–18m, seafloor at 30–32m
- Location
- Geographe Bay, off Dunsborough
- Best Season
- Ideal conditions mid-September to mid-May
- Marine Life
- Up to 200 globefish often at the bow, large western blue groper, blue morwong, dusky morwong, mulloway, samsonfish, batfish, wobbegongs, schools of bullseye and pike, and western blue devils inside the rooms.
- Notes
- A permit is required to dive it, arranged through local dive shops or the Busselton Visitor Centre. Extensive hull cut-outs allow safe swim-through penetration for wreck-qualified divers; Open Water divers are advised not to exceed 18m.
Busselton Jetty
- Type
- jetty/artificial reef dive with underwater sculpture trail
- Depth
- Maximum depth about 9m
- Location
- Busselton
- Marine Life
- Around 300 marine species reported along the jetty pylons.
- Notes
- Popular as both a day and night dive, often combined with an HMAS Swan trip on the same day.
- Accessibility Summary
- Diving out of Perth is genuinely NOT liveaboard-dependent. Metro-area sites (Marmion Marine Park, Rockingham/Coogee/Ammo Jetty area) are true shore dives you can reach by car and a short walk. Rottnest Island sites are day-boat dives — commercial operators run out of Fremantle/Hillarys and return same day, no overnight stay required. The two most internationally famous WA wreck dives, HMAS Swan and Busselton Jetty, are NOT actually in the Perth metro area at all — they sit near Dunsborough/Busselton, roughly a 2.5–3 hour drive south of Perth, so reaching them is a genuine day-trip-or-overnight road trip to a different coastal town, not a boat ride from Perth itself.
- Season And Temperature
- Water temperature ranges from about 19°C (66°F) in winter up to 24°C (75°F) in summer, and diving is possible year-round, though summer (roughly December–April) generally gives the best visibility and calmer conditions around Rottnest.
- Wetsuit Note
- A 5mm wetsuit plus hood is commonly recommended for divers not used to Perth's water temperatures, even in the warmer months.
Site And Seasonal Context
- Season
- Local operators and PADI both describe peak diving season as roughly September to May, with water temperatures reaching up to about 23°C (74°F) in the warmer months.
- Typical Sites
- Shore diving directly off Perth's metro beaches is common and cheap, while boat trips (run by nearly every shop listed above) go out to Rottnest Island and Carnac Island for limestone reefs, caverns, swim-throughs, wrecks, sea lions and fur seals.
Typical Cost
- Standard Open Water Course
- A$575
- Premium Open Water Course With Rottnest Island Dives
- A$695
- Notes On Pricing
- These figures come from one operator (Bucket List Diver) that publishes prices online; several other well-known Perth shops (Perth Scuba, Perth Diving Academy) do not publish a flat Open Water price and instead quote per booking/schedule, so actual market range may run somewhat higher, especially for private 1-on-1 tuition.
Certifying Bodies
PADI is by far the dominant agency in Perth; every named operator found teaches PADI curricula. No other agency (SSI, NAUI, etc.) was found to be commonly advertised by Perth shops in this research.
Typical Open Water Course Structure
Courses are commonly run over 3 days combining e-learning/academics, pool sessions, and open-water dives. A recurring local pattern is that the final open-water dives are done as a boat trip to Rottnest Island, with earlier dives done as shore dives off Perth's metro beaches.
Certification Levels Commonly Offered
Certification Levels Commonly Offered
- PADI Discover Scuba Diving (try-dive, non-certifying)
- PADI Scuba Diver (2-day, restricted to 12m)
- PADI Open Water Diver (the standard entry certification, max depth 18-20m)
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
- PADI Rescue Diver
- PADI Divemaster (professional level)
- PADI Instructor and beyond, via at least one shop that is a PADI Career Development Centre
Freediving Crossover
- Details
- At least one major Perth dive shop, Perth Scuba, explicitly lists PADI Freediving as one of its course offerings alongside scuba, and separately stocks freediving equipment for rental. A separate operator, Perth Ocean, builds an option for freediving into its guided snorkelling tours for those who want it. This is a genuine, shop-confirmed overlap rather than an assumption, though freediving is offered as a secondary product line at these shops rather than being their main focus.
- Genuine Crossover Confirmed
- Yes
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.