Ningaloo Reef · Australia · Artificial reef · Muck & macro · Night
Navy Pier
Wobbegongs, grey nurse and whitetips under a working navy jetty
Photo: Matthias Liffers · CC BY 2.0
An operating naval jetty at Point Murat on the tip of North West Cape, 110 metres long and dived only on regulated trips run by the single licensed operator. The water under it is shallow and often murky, and that is rather the point: the structure concentrates sharks, schooling fish and a dense macro population into a space small enough to work slowly.
Also known as Point Murat Navy Pier.
Where it is and how deep
21.8150° S, 114.1850° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This dive is arranged rather than improvised. The pier is still used by navy vessels, so the only way in is a regulated trip with the licensed operator, at a time the base allows. Once you are in the water the dive is compact and contained: 110 metres of structure, a working profile between the surface and 10 metres, 15 metres at the deepest point, and usually no current to fight.
Visibility is the trade-off, running 3 to 10 metres, so the dive is worked close in against the structure rather than swum across open water. That suits what lives there. Wobbegongs lie flat and motionless in the shadow of the pier, grey nurse and whitetip reef sharks pass through, and schools of barracuda and trevally hold in the water alongside it.
The macro life is the other half of the dive and it rewards a slow pass: nudibranchs and flatworms on the growth, frogfish sitting still enough to swim past, scorpionfish and stonefish pressed flat against the surfaces you might otherwise be tempted to steady yourself on. The site is diveable all year, and it is also a recommended night dive, when the low visibility matters far less because everything worth looking at sits inside torch range.
Marine life and season
- Wobbegongs
- Sand tiger sharks
- Reef sharks
- Nudibranchs
- Frogfish
- Macro critters
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Ningaloo Reef: Whale sharks aggregate mid-Mar–Jul after coral spawning; humpback whales pass close to the reef Jul–Oct; manta rays are present year-round.
Know before you go
- Visibility runs 3 to 10 metres, so buddies lose each other quickly along 110 metres of pier. Stay close and agree where you turn before you get in.
- Scorpionfish and stonefish sit motionless against the structure, so keep hands, knees and fins off every surface you pass.
- The pier is an active navy facility. Access is only on regulated dive trips, with no snorkelling and no clambering on the structure; entry times and rules are set by the operator, not by the group.
Dive videos
World's Best Shore Dive!! Navy Pier, Exmouth Western Australia · Tommy’s Wild Adventures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Navy Pier dive?+
The dive works between the surface and about 10 metres, with 15 metres at the deepest point. There is usually no current, so most of the bottom time goes on moving slowly along the structure rather than covering ground.
Do you need to be certified to dive the Navy Pier?+
Yes. The one licensed operator takes certified divers only, and the site has long been rated for advanced divers. The limiting factor is not depth but visibility of 3 to 10 metres around a large structure, which asks for close buddy contact.
When can you dive the Navy Pier?+
It is diveable year-round and is also a recommended night dive. Access is only on regulated trips with the single licensed operator, so the date depends on their schedule and on the navy base.
Sources
- Navy Pier dive site — Divezone
- Exmouth (Western Australia) — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A colorful nudibranch on encrusted growth near Ningaloo. by Matthias Liffers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
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- Night diving: the best night dives in the worldNight diving · 12 min read
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- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 8 min read
More dive sites in Ningaloo Reef
Shore-entry reef with a spring nursery of young tiger sharks
Reef
Rocky ledges and cracks at 12-14 m inside a no-anchor sanctuary zone
Reef
Ledge swimthroughs to 18 m, with grey nurse sharks and mantas
Shore-entry reef in 3 to 7 m with a campground on the dune behind
Similar dives elsewhere
Wobbegongs and grey nurse under a working navy jetty
Mimic, wonderpus and blue-ringed octopus under the pillars
A resident leafy seadragon population lives under the old jetty.
A 7 m shore dive that photographers run day and night