Dive with marine life · 2026 guide

Where to Dive with Manta Rays in Australia

Reef mantas at cleaning stations — Lady Elliot and Ningaloo are the most reliable encounters in Australia.

Present year-round at Lady Elliot with a cooler-month peak around May to August. Ningaloo mantas are resident year-round; east coast sites such as Flat Rock see them mainly in summer.

These 7 sites are where manta ray encounters are best documented, with the operators who dive them.

Tasselled wobbegong resting camouflaged on a rocky reef

Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli)

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~15 m typical, 25 m maxBoat divereef · island

Where tropical and temperate waters meet — more than 20 shark and ray species recorded.

The ecological importance of the site comes from the meeting of tropical and temperate influences. Warm water arriving on the East Australian Current mixes with cooler temperate water, and species from both systems occur here together.

Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)

Who takes you there Sundive Byron Bay Byron Bay Dive Centre

Blue Bay Divers

Full Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli) guide →

Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo & Exmouth, Western Australia

Open Water · ≤18 m~15 m typical, 30 m maxShore dive · Boat divereef · drift

A fringing reef close enough to shore that in places you can swim to it from the beach.

For certified divers, the reef systems and offshore sites around the Exmouth Gulf provide the main scuba product, with drift diving along the reef edge and coral bommies inside the lagoon.

Look for: Green Turtle, Humpback Whale, Manta Ray, Spotted Eagle Ray

Who takes you there Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo Ningaloo Reef Dive Dive Ningaloo Ningaloo Blue Dive

Full Ningaloo Reef guide →

Green sea turtle swimming above a sunlit coral reef

Wolf Rock

Rainbow Beach & Wolf Rock, Queensland

Advanced · 18–25 m~25 m typical, 35 m maxBoat divereef

An offshore volcanic pinnacle and one of the few known aggregation sites for pregnant grey nurse sharks.

The site is particularly associated with grey nurse sharks and large rays. It is one of the few known aggregation sites for pregnant female grey nurse sharks, which gives it genuine conservation significance.

Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark), Manta Ray

Who takes you there

Wolf Rock Dive Centre

Full Wolf Rock guide →

Flat Rock

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland

Advanced · 18–25 m~20 m typical, 30 m maxBoat divereef

Southeast Queensland's premier big-animal site — grey nurse sharks, mantas and turtles.

A gutter on the rock's northern side is a recognised grey nurse shark aggregation area in the cooler months, while manta rays arrive through summer.

Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)

Who takes you there

Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre

Full Flat Rock guide →

Manta ray gliding over a reef while scuba divers watch from a distance

Muiron Islands

Ningaloo & Exmouth, Western Australia

Open Water · ≤18 m~15 m typical, 25 m maxBoat divereef · island

Offshore islands north of Exmouth with coral gardens and reliable clarity.

Sites include coral gardens, bommies and swim-throughs, with turtles and reef sharks common.

Look for: Manta Ray, Whale Shark

Who takes you there Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo Dive Ningaloo Sail Ningaloo

Full Muiron Islands guide →

Two equipped scuba divers entering a calm Australian bay from shore

Lady Elliot Island

Bundaberg & Southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Open Water · ≤18 m~15 m typical, 25 m maxShore dive · Boat divereef · island

A coral cay at the reef's southern tip, with some of Australia's most reliable manta encounters.

Cleaning stations around the island produce reliable seasonal manta activity, and the clear water typical of the southern reef makes it exceptional for photography.

Look for: Green Turtle, Humpback Whale, Loggerhead Turtle, Manta Ray

Who takes you there Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort

Full Lady Elliot Island guide →

Grey nurse sharks cruising calmly beside a rocky reef

North Solitary Island

Coffs Harbour & the Solitary Islands, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~18 m typical, 30 m maxBoat diveisland · reef

Extensive anemone beds and the strongest tropical influence in the Solitary Islands Marine Park.

Visit NSW particularly highlights extensive anemone beds and soft corals here — anemone city is one of the site's signature features, with dense fields of anemones and their resident clownfish.

Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Manta Ray

Who takes you there

Jetty Dive Centre

Wooli Dive Centre

Full North Solitary Island guide →

Questions about this list

How is this list ranked?

Sites are chosen from our dive-site database and ordered by how well documented they are: flagship status, the number of operators we have confirmed dive there, and the marine life recorded. Nobody pays to be listed.

Can a business pay to appear here?

No. Listings and order come from our research only. Businesses can ask us to correct their details, but not to change their position.

How current is this guide?

It is generated from the directory's latest research, checked in 2026. Conditions, operators and seasons change — confirm details with the operator before you book.

All best-of guides →

Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli)

Ningaloo Reef

Wolf Rock

Flat Rock

Muiron Islands

Lady Elliot Island

North Solitary Island

Questions about this list

More best-of guides