The Climate and Best Time to Visit
Australia has a relatively temperate climate with an average temperature throughout the year, ranging between a minimum 8°C in winter to a maximum 32°C in summer. Around the coast ocean temperatures vary from 6°C to 30°C, although the Great Barrier Reef's water rarely dips below the 24°C mark.
Monsoons are prevalent from January to March, during which time cyclones may occur, while in April to June heavy trade winds are rife. Strong winds can persist through August.
The Rowley Shoals diving season is very short, with most liveaboard departures in October only. Water temperatures vary between 27-30°C at this time of year. You can expect visibility at over 20m, but sometimes as much as a jaw-dropping 60m. Mornings and evenings can be cool so warm clothes are recommended.
In South Australia, the shark cage diving season runs all year round, except for March/April. May to October sees a lot of great white action since this is the time of year when young seals first venture off land in search of food. November to February sees plenty of predator action too as thousands of seals gather here then to give birth. This period is also the best time to spot bronze whalers and mako sharks. So there is something pretty awesome happening at most times through the year. If you're keen to see the giant cuttlefish then May to June is their mating season. The surface temperature of the sea around the islands ranges from 14-22°C and visibility is often over 20m.
You can find more details on the seasons on our Australia diving destinations page.
Ports of Departure and How to Get There
Australia is vast, over 2 times the size of Europe. As such there is always a certain amount of planning involved in getting about. Most visitors arrive by air with the main airports being Sydney, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns. These are well serviced from both Europe and the US although the routes can get busy so it is important to book in advance.
With the country being so large, by far the most convenient way of travel within its interior is by air. Australian domestic flights can be quite economical as there is fierce competition for passengers. The net result is excellent prices on most of the main routes.
Rowley Shoals Marine Park is just under 300 km west of Broome and south of the Timor Sea. There are direct flights to Broome from several of the main cities in Australia (Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth) with Virgin Australia Airlines, Qantas and Airnorth.
For Neptune Island, South Australia, passengers must board in Port Lincoln. You can get there by flying to Adelaide and then on to Port Lincoln. Many airlines offer direct international flights to Adelaide from Asia and New Zealand. There are also flights to Adelaide from all major Australian cities. Qantas and Regional Express Airlines have daily flights (45 minutes) from Adelaide to Port Lincoln. The alternative is a 7 hour drive or a 10 hour bus ride.
In addition we highly recommend that you take out insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive price. Indeed some liveaboards in Australia will not allow you onboard without proof of evacuation cover, due to the huge distances and costs involved:
Places to Stay
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