Rottnest Island is a stunning location in Western Australia, where you can snorkel, scuba dive, swim and unwind. If you’re thinking of scuba diving at Rottnest Island, and if you are already there, you can enter the water directly from shore. Alternatively, you can head out on a boat with local dive companies such as Bucketlist Diver.

Today let’s have a look at a couple of dive sites at Rottnest Island: Roe Reef and the G spot, a popular site for grey nurse sharks.

Where is Rottnest Island?

Rottnest Island is located about 19 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia. It’s a short ferry ride from Perth, with ferries departing from Fremantle, Hillarys and Barrack Street Jetty. Barrack Street Jetty is located in the city near Elizabeth Quay, so if you’re staying in the CBD, this is probably the easiest option. 

Why scuba dive at Rottnest Island?

There’s no doubt that Western Australia is home to some of the most stunning beaches in the world, we’re also home to some pretty special scuba diving sites. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced diver, there’s a dive site that’s suitable for you. 

Rottnest Island is a Class A reserve and its waters are part of the Rottnest Island Marine Reserve. The waters around Rottnest Island are protected, which means the marine life is well preserved, making it an ideal place to observe and interact with the underwater world. 

When you scuba dive at Rottnest Island, you’ll have the opportunity to see plenty of fish such as Gold Spotted Sweetlips, Red Lip Morwong, Buffalo Bream, as well as sea stars, seals and even grey nurse sharks. 

Where to hire scuba diving equipment

If you’re travelling from overseas or interstate, or simply want to travel light, you can hire all your scuba diving equipment from your tour company. I usually bring my own gear like a wetsuit, mask, flippers, regulators and BCD. I then hire a tank or two of oxygen from the dive company I have chosen to dive with. 

Don’t forget to bring your GoPro or other underwater camera, because you’re bound to get some awesome footage during your scuba dive. 

Scuba dive at Rottnest Island with Bucketlist Diver

I did my scuba dives at Rottnest Island with Bucketlist Diver, a Perth-based scuba diving and snorkelling company. They take small groups scuba diving and snorkelling at locations throughout Western Australia, including Rottnest Island, Hallbanks, Mew Stone and they also go on night dives and shore dives. 

If you’re looking to gain your scuba diving qualifications, you can do that with Bucketlist Diver. They offer PADI open water and advanced courses, a PADI rescue course, refresher, and PADI Divemaster course.

What to expect when you scuba dive Rottnest Island with Bucketlist Diver

The scuba diving tour I booked with Bucketlist Diver was an all-day event, it took about seven hours and included two dives. We left from the East Street Jetty and the departure times may vary depending on the time of year but usually it’s early morning. To do this dive, you’ll need to have your Open Water qualification and have been scuba diving in the last 12 months. 

The crew choose the dive sites on the day, depending on the weather and everyone’s scuba certifications. If there’s a particular site you want to visit, definitely mention it because they do their best to give you the best experience possible. 

Scuba diving at Roe Reef, Rottnest Island

Roe Reef is off the northern end of Rottnest Island. It’s up to 18 metres deep with visibility ranging from 8-12 metres but of course this will always depend on your dive conditions on the day. We were lucky enough to have 10-15 metres visibility. 

At Roe Reef you’ll find limestone cave systems with swim throughs and a wide variety of tropical fish and reef fish. Check out my video below. 

Grey Nurse scuba dive at Rottnest Island

This is a fairly new dive, different from the Shark Cave and the Opera House dive. I’m going to keep this G rated, so let’s call this the Grey Nurse Shark Dive. You can find out more on the Bucketlist Diver website but note that this one is different to the Shark Cave and Opera House dive. 

This dive site reaches about 17 metres deep and Bucketlist Diver describes the structures as shelf-life caverns, regularly home to Grey Nurse Sharks. For those unfamiliar with this breed, Grey Nurse Sharks are usually safe to swim and scuba dive with, they’re not like Great Whites or Tiger Sharks, which are known for fatalities. 

In my video footage you’ll see a female grey nurse shark, captured on my camera and Elliott’s. Check out this scuba dive below! 

Want to know about snorkelling at Rottnest Island? Check out my article and video about Rottnest Island snorkelling.

---