Navy Pier, Western Australia

Welcome to Western Australia

Along the Western Australia Coral Coast you can find an aquarium without glass, the famous Exmouth’s Navy Pier. Now officially open for diving following restoration works, this underwater treasure is another main attraction to the beautiful country of Australia. Primarily due to its large variety of marine life, the Navy Pier Exmouth has a reputation of being one of the Top Shore Dives Worldwide and is one of the main Exmouth things to do.

Australia is home to more marine World Heritage Sites than any other country, hosting five of them in total. The most popular being The Great Barrier Reef. With more than 2,000 individual reefs and an area as large as 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 square miles) covered by 900 islands, in 1981 this beautiful location was named to the World Heritage Site list and makes up the largest coral reef system in the world. This was in order to not only protect the large reef itself, but also the marine life that inhabits the area. This includes the Humpead Wrasse and more than 1,500 other species of fish found at this destination.

History of the Exmouth Navy Pier

Located just 14 kms from Exmouth, The Navy Pier is around 300 metres long. It is still to this day used by Navy ships being services by the naval base and for that reason is not open to the general public. All diving at this location must be through a licensed authorised company.

The Navy Pier opened to the public in 1916 and was originally names “Municipal Pier”. The Pier was to be used initially for freight docking purposes, passenger traffic and a space for recreation to the public either indoors or outdoors. The Pier was known to hold lots of different events such as expositions, pageants and vast variety of entertainment. The Navy Pier was also used as a jail for draft dodgers. The pier was renamed in 1927 to honour the naval veterans who service in the First World War.

During World War II in 1941, the pier was turned into a training centre for the Navy. Around 10,000 people trained, worked and resided there.

Diving the Exmouth Navy Pier

Rated by many divers all around the world, the Exmouth Navy Pier is ranked in the top 10 land based dive sites on the planet and is a famous divers choice. However, due to it still being a working Australian Navy and base marine Exmouth facility, access for divers is only permitted by the licensed dive tour companies who operate under a very strict set of conditions. With the exception to the Australian Navy divers.

The t-shaped structure of the pier extends 300 metres from the shore and is around 300 metres wide. Although defined as a very compact site, divers could easily spend up to 5 days diving at this unique location and still not get bored, especially at night!

The Navy Pier is a very diverse dive destination just situated under the jetty of the Australian Navy, it is most famous for its incredible and vast variety of marine life it has to offer any diver that visits. The Ningaloo reef dive is operated by Dive Ningaloo who currently hold a licence for operating scuba diving tours at the Navy Pier and Exmouth scuba diving.

Navy Pier Dive Exmouth Dive Conditions

This dive is an easy and shallow one, with a maximum depth of around 15 metres there is usually no current. It is suitable for divers of all levels of experience, so why not get qualified and start your scuba adventure with a pier course. Visibility is quite low and ranges from around 3 to 10 metres, but in all honesty, this isn’t a major issue due to the amount of marine life in your surroundings you will always be able to see some amazing things! For the more adventurous diver, the Exmouth Navy Pier is also a great place for Night Diving Exmouth and comes highly recommended!

Strong currents are known to run past the Navy Pier and due to this, dives are usually completely dependent on tidal movements. Therefore dive times may vary daily. Either single or double dives are possible, during slack water and depending the moon phase. There are over 200 identified fish species under the Navy Pier and as with any jetty dive, underwater navigation is very easy.

What Marine Life Can I See at the Exmouth Navy Pier Dive?

Underneath the Navy Pier, inside the glassless aquarium you will be able to spot all kinds of small and big creatures whilst enjoying a coral bay dive. You will usually be able to discover the odd looking wobbegong shark, the grey nurse shark and the whitetip reef shark.

All the underwater photographers and critter lovers will be delighted by the array of macro creatures that this dive location has to offer. These critters range from nudibranchs, flat worms, scorpionfish, frogfish and stone fish.

Renowned for its vast marine life, the Navy Pier has some much to offer on any dive. There are normally reef fish and pelagic surrounded by schools of trevallies and barracuda. Stargazers and the usual smaller finned friends are always somewhere nearby, and if your eyes are in good shape, keep them pealed for the huge rays that doze in the sand below.

The marine ecosystem underneath the pier is like that of a kaleidoscope of life. You’ll be able to discover an ever changing array of colourful reef fish including moorish idols, batfish, lionfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, coral trout, painted sweetlip and many more. Circling the pier pylons, in the deeper water, you will be able to observe huge Queensland gropers loitering.

While the large impressive creatures are the main lure to this location, some of the smaller marine life found here can be equally astounding. The pier structure itself is smothered with colourful soft corals.

This location really is a photographer dream, offering an abundance of marine life that is seemingly unafraid of the divers around them. No two dives are ever the same when it comes to the Navy Pier!

When is the best time to Navy Pier Western Australia?

Due to access from shore, you are able to go scuba diving Exmouth at the Navy Pier all year long. Being a country of two climates, the northern half of Australia is driest and most accessible between the months of April and September.

The north is humid from October to March, when it receives more rainfall, but also this is offset by the active wildlife, reinvigorated rainforests and wetlands.

For the Manta lovers, the best time to go diving Ningaloo would be during the winter. To be able to see Humpback whales, ningaloo dive should take place between the months of July to November. This is also the best time and opportunity to encounter dolphins and even the very rare and beautiful dugongs!

Make sure to check up on other things to do in Exmouth such as the snorkeling tours and Ningaloo reef diving this location has to offer. Looking for other things to do Exmouth? Why not do some research on TripAdvisor to find out what to do in Exmouth and to really be able to get the best out of your dive holiday. Although a dive ningaloo reef is a main attraction, there are so many more Exmouth activities you shouldn’t miss out on! So what are you waiting for!

Western Australia Travel Information

Note – Travel to any destination may be adversely affected by conditions including (but not limited) to security, entry and exit requirements, health conditions, local laws and culture, natural disasters and climate. Regardless of your destination, check your local travel advisory board or department for travel advice about that location when planning your trip and again shortly before you leave.

Language – Australian English

Currency – Australian dollar

Major Airport – Perth Airport

Top Exmouth Attractions – Kings Park & Botanic Garden (Perth), Kings Park War Memorial (Perth), Cape Le Grand National Park (Esperance), Turquoise Bay (Exmouth)

Information link – http://www.westernaustralia.com/uk/Pages/Welcome_to_Western_Australia.aspx#/

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