Best Diving in Australia and the South Pacific – Oceania

Pack your bags for the best diving in Australia and the South Pacific! Oceania, where the Pacific Ocean stretches across infinite blue, is the largest and deepest ocean on earth. With thriving reefs and marine life, this region is a bucket-list diving destination for snorkelers, scuba divers, spearfishers and freedivers.

Whether you’re chasing the best scuba diving trip in Fiji, dreaming of freediving Australia, seeking the best spearfishing Australia has to offer, or gearing up for a freediving retreat in Tonga, every dive here is sure to blow your fins off.

freediving trips south australia
Diving tonga

9 Best Dive Destinations in the World

1. North Stradbroke Island Diving – Is Whitsunday diving too expensive? Why not jump on a ferry (or barge) to North Stradbroke Island in Queensland for a budget-friendly diving trip? Camp on the beach and get acquainted with manta rays, green sea turtles, resident dolphins, and a trip to Julian Rocks with sleepy grey nurse sharks.

2. Diving Tonga – Ever wanted to dive with humpback whales in Tonga? Hands-down, the best humpback dives exist in Tonga as playfully curious whales congregate amidst the islands and choose to get up close and personal with divers.

3. Narooma Seal Diving – A budget-friendly escape on the southern New South Wales coast. Splash and play with herds of cheeky seals, massive resident bull rays, port jackson’s and grey nurse sharks. Camp on the Narooma Lagoon with drift dives at your doorstep and expeditions to Montague Island.

4. Best Diving in French Polynesia – Bora Bora isn’t just a honeymoon destination, it’s a tropical turquoise dream. Bora Bora shark diving is a must for those who like a little excitement while Bora Bora Freediving offers surreal dives of colourful reefs, rays, turtles and seasonal humpbacks.

5. Shark diving Adelaide – Seeking adventure? South Australia is for you. The waters here are home to 30 species of shark and some of the best shark diving in Australia, with bronze whalers, shortfin makos, great white sharks and a massive sea lion colony.

6. Diving South Australia – Mt Gambier, a semi-rural hidden gem, is a hole-y wonderland of volcanic craters, epic algae ponds and giant sinkholes (Aussie version of cenotes). FYI, Kilsby Sinkhole freediving offers a super serene experience for a free diving course during wildly fun freediving trips.

7. Fiji Dive Trips – Some of the best dive trips exist in the warm and bustling waters here. Settle into a dive resort or freedive Fiji with a group trip visiting the best islands, reefs and wrecks. Get amongst a Fiji shark dive with up to 8 species of sharks including bull shark scuba diving.

8. Dive Ningaloo – You absolutely must dive Exmouth Navy Pier for one of the best shore diving experiences in the world (legit). Spearfishing Western Australia is also some of the best in the world. Obviously, swimming with whale sharks in Western Australia is one of the best ways to snorkel or freedive with whale sharks, the biggest fish in the sea.

9. Best Diving Great Barrier Reef – No dive list is complete without it! Aside from gigantic coral ecosystems, enjoy encounters with dwarf mink whales and humpbacks. There’s no shortage of choices for scuba diving certifications in Cairns and liveaboard dive trips. Freediving Cairns Crater Lakes is especially popular for free diving courses before embarking on a Freediving Liveaboard.

Narooma seal diving
freediving kilsby sinkhole

Marine Life

There’s an abundance of year-round marine life in Australia and times for the best diving South Pacific Islands, noting these seasonal highlights:

  • Dive with humpback whales in Tonga from mid-June to October.
  • Best time to swim with whale sharks in Western Australia is from late March to late July.
  • Narooma seal diving is best from December to May with mischievous seal pups.
  • Best time to dive the Great Barrier Reef is during the dry season from May to September – coinciding with the humpback migration. Find minke whales between June and July. Note: stinger season is from November to May.

When to Dive Australia and Pacific Islands

You’re best diving south pacific whenever it suits you, depending on your ideal encounters:

  • East Coast Australia: December to March. Waters from 24°C / 75°F and 15–30m vis.
  • Western Australia & Ningaloo: March to August. Waters from 22°C / 81°F and 10–30m vis.
  • French Polynesia, Bora Bora: April to October. Waters from 26°C / 84°F and 30–50m vis.
  • Fiji: May to October for best conditions. Waters from 25°C / 82°F and 20–40m vis.
best fiji freediving
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