Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the area around Hooters

Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Australia · Reef

Hooters

An 8 m reef-and-rubble bottom out towards the drop-off

Area photo: photoboothrental.com · CC BY-SA 3.0

An easy 8 m dive on reef and rubble that runs out towards the drop-off, used for new and not yet qualified divers. The ground is shallow and open, which makes it a natural place to practise navigation, and the standard plan is an out-and-back with the return leg swum on a compass rather than followed along the reef.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Hooters: typical dive to 8 m (to 26 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit8 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.0871° S, 96.8767° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Descend to the 8 m bottom directly under the boat and get oriented before moving off. The ground here is a mix of reef and rubble rather than continuous coral, so there is no single wall or edge to follow, and the exploring is done in whatever direction the group picks — the usual line is outwards, towards the drop-off at the far side of the shallow ground.

The return is where the site earns its place in the schedule. With the deepest point at 8 m and nothing on the profile to rush, this is the dive where navigation skills get worked: pick a reciprocal heading, swim it, and see how close to the boat you surface. Bottom time is limited by air rather than by depth, so a slow, deliberate pace costs nothing.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Hooters
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGood

Season follows Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Divable year-round; Apr–Jun and Oct–Nov are calmest, with the wet season from December to March bringing more wind.

Questions divers ask

How deep is the Hooters dive site?+

The bottom sits at 8 m, and the dive stays on that ground as it works out towards the drop-off.

Sources

  1. Hooters - Cocos (Keeling) Islands — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide

More dive sites in Cocos (Keeling) Islands

An undercut in the wall at 40 m, west of Ski Run

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Drop to 40 m for sea fans, finish in a 9 m ocean pool

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Sand at 5 m, coral to 9 m, and room to get buoyancy right

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A Montipora stand owning the wall from 16 to 35 m

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Ridges to the drop-off with resident trevally and barracuda

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Reef top at 10 m, then a short drop to 18 m on the eastern side

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