Sea and Do in Australia: Top 10 Best Underwater Experiences

So, I am a marine biologist spending one year in Australia and not wasting one second of my explorative nature in this underwater promised land. Come dive in with me and check out the Top 10 Best Underwater Experiences Australia has to offer!

1. Cage Dive with Great White Sharks with Adventure Bay Charters in Port Lincoln, SA

 Photo Courtesy of Michael Patrick O'Neill

The ultimate in epic adrenalin rushes, but with an eco-friendly and all natural twist, Adventure Bay Charters offers cage diving with the Great White shark year-round through acoustic attraction (often ACDC) instead of using bait. You don't need any previous diving experience to participate because you are suspended, in a steel cage, just below the ocean's surface, while breathing surface air through a regulator. It is recommended that you visit when sharks are more plentiful and reliable, from December through February, as well as May through October, following the New Zealand fur seal breeding and pupping oscillations.

Cage Dive with the Great Whites - Adventure Bay Charters

2. Swim with Whale Sharks with Kings Ningaloo Reef Tours in Exmouth, WA
 

 Photo Courtesy of Krystal Vision

Whale Sharks are abundant in the winter months of late March though early August, leading up to and following the spawning events of massive coral aggregations on the Ningaloo Reef in April each year. This is the most magical underwater experience ever! Humpback whales are also plentiful in June, July, and August and can be seen breaching and tail slapping throughout the Ningaloo Reef Marine Sanctuary. Manta rays, sharks and the Ningaloo Reef are often the icing on top of the cake!

Swim with Whale Sharks - Kings Ningaloo Reef Tours

3. Experience a Top 10 Shore Dive in the World at the Navy Pier with Ningaloo Whaleshark-n-Dive in Exmouth, WA

Photo Courtesy of Tamar Melon

Ningaloo Whaleshark-n-Dive offers one of the best shore dives in the world, year round. With beautiful fish in intimidating numbers swirling all around you, nudibranchs hiding out on the daunting, submerged pier beams, and wobbegong and nurse sharks chilling out on the ocean floor, the navy pier is not to be missed. You may even get the opportunity to tickle the big friendly grouper's chin!

Dive the Navy Pier - Ningaloo Whaleshark-n-Dive

4. Swim with Dwarf Minke Whales with Poseidon Cruises in Port Douglas, QLD

Photo Courtesy of Poseidon Cruises

July to September is the peak season to encounter the inquisitive minkes as they frequent the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs. They are also common between the months of March and October. A lucky swim with these inquisitive beauties will change your view of intimate encounters forever.

Swim with Dwarf Minke Whales - Poseidon Cruises

5. Swim with the Endangered Australian Sea Lions with Adventure Bay Charters in Port Lincoln, SA

 Photo Courtesy of Jamie Reynolds

Ever wanted to play fetch with a marine mammal? These spectacularly playful animals will move you to believe they are true puppies of the sea. With inquisitive, bulging eyes, spins and whirls in unsurpassed speeds, and a game of loving chase, the Australian Sea Lion is sure to please. The experience is a guaranteed interaction as well!

Swim with Sea Lions - Adventure Bay Charters

6. Dive the World's Largest Barrier Reef with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions in Cairns, QLD

 

Photo courtesy of Mike Ball Expedition

Three-day liveaboard trip showcases the Ribbon Reef, diving with incredible marine biodiversity, including Australia's famous Cod Hole. See the spectacular colors and intensely diverse ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef before it's too late!

Dive the Great Barrier Reef - Mike Ball

7. Swim with Manta Rays with Ningaloo Marine Interactions in Coral Bay, WA

Photo Courtesy of Krystal Vision

Manta rays are such a beautiful and mesmerizing site. Just watching them dance in sync around you while feeding on the microscopic plankton abundantly floating in the waters of the Ningaloo Reef. Manta Rays are sure to please even the hesitant snorkeler.

Swim with Manta Rays - Ningaloo Marine Interactions

8. Swim with Wild Dolphins with Rockingham Wild Encounters in Rockingham, WA

Photo Courtesy of Rockingham Wild Encounters

This just might top your list of best wildlife encounters imaginable! Hearing dolphins speak in their high pitched, squeeky voices will bring you back to Flipper days. Playful, curious and unexpectedly  intimate, wild dolphins are worth the drive. Western Australia has so much to offer its a shame most travelers only see the east.

Swim with Wild Dolphins - Rockingham Wild Encounters

9. Search for the Leafy Seadragon with Kangaroo Island Dive and Adventures on Kangaroo Island, SA

Photo Courtesy of Laurent Ballesta

The elusive and hard to distinguish leafy seadragon is a find to brag about. Two day dives are a guaranteed sighting with Kangaroo Island Dive. While you're there searching out this bizarre and beautiful creature, enjoy the pristine beaches, historic lighthouses, underground caves, rare honeybees, gourmet local delicacies and even penguins of Kangaroo Island. You may even encounter a deadly blue-ringed octopus (viewing purposes only of course)!

Search for the Leafy Seadragon - Kangaroo Island Dive and Adventures

10. Dive a Kelp Forest with Eaglehawk Dive Centre at Munro Bight, Tasmania

Courtesy of Mick Baron of Eaglehawk Dive Centre

Swimming through a giant kelp forest is like zip-lining through a rainforest canopy, but you better hurry, because the kelp forests are disappearing fast! This unique habitat is home to a wide variety of smaller kelps and other algae, plus many animals including seadragons, various wrasses, banded stingarees, skates, cowfish (boxfish),  pinnipeds, octopus and the occasional bigbelly seahorse, amongst many others. Novice and expert divers alike enjoy the rare chance to swim amongst plants that grow up to 50 cm per day and 20 meters deep!

Dive a Kelp Forest - Eaglehawk Dive Centre