Diving Christmas Island

14 May 2024
Christmas Island is nearly 1500 miles away from its Australian parent, and is closer to Indonesia. Due to its remoteness, it is little-dived with some glorious sites.

Whaleshark
Whale shark by Tim Nicholson

When to dive Christmas Island?

You can dive Christmas Island year-round.

The weather is tropical with high temperatures reaching 26 - 28 oC year round. The main difference is in rainfall. The rainy season is November to June with the north-west monsoon. This is the best time to see whale sharks and manta rays but on the the northern side of the island conditions are sometimes rough between November and March. In November or December you might also witness the march of the Christmas Island red crabs. From July to October the winds are from the south-east and the weather is dryer. This is the best time for calm water and excellent visibility. January to March sees the most rain. Sea temperatures range from 26 oC in September to 29 oC from February to May.

How to get to Christmas Island?

You can fly from Perth, Jakarta or Singapore.

Christmas Island Dive Sites Dive Centres


The Diving

There is some fantastic diving. A surrounding reef reaching down hundreds of meters is one of the longest drop-offs anywhere. Not to mention the wrecks and caves. Underwater life is plentiful. As well as the visiting whale sharks and manta rays, tiger sharks, hammerheads, dolphins and whales also pass by. And the small stuff is incredible too plus there are beautiful corals.

"Nothing less than amazing. We saw black and white reef tip sharks, a 2 m grouper, an array of moray eels, masses of soft and hard corals and too many fish to discribe. We went 32 m. This dive is on the drop off, as are most dives on Christmas Island, so you have the sheer cliffs which house so much life. A truly magical place that I miss very much. "
Meagan Maher
"The dive begins with the boat pulling up 10 m from the cliff, sparking divers to consider 'is it deep enough to jump here?' However the cliff sheers through the water to depths of 10-50 m directly. This makes Perpendicular wall, at the north-western tip of the island, the best wall dive on Christmas Island. Generally the conditions are perfect, 40-50m visibility, gorgonian fan corals, pelagics and other big fish; however care must be taken to check the currents before diving. Whale sharks and Manta rays are spotted crusing along the wall during their season. "
Hannah Boughton
Morgue, Christmas Island
"Another great spot. Most days you will see giant green sea turtles, ribbon eels, space crab, sea urchins, banded shrimp, starfish, coral crab, soapfish, butterfly fish and moray eels. Most of the year the vis is 30m+. A divers paradise. "
Meagan Maher
10-50 m
Flying Fish Cove ('the cove'), Christmas Island
"The cove is a beautiful dive site beginning with a shore entry and short fin out the jetty or boat ramp. Divers can choose to go left or right to experience great corals and fish. The coral gardens extend from 3-30m deep before the 'drop off'. At the southern end of the cove is 'admin point' a sheer wall where many pelagics and other big fish cruise by. Many times whale sharks are spotted in the cove during the season. "
Hannah Boughton
Pigrock, Christmas Island
"For a really eerie dive go to pigrock. Not always easy to get to but if you can it is quite amazing. The water is so incredibily flat and as you submerge it is an indescibable feeling. It was a bit creepy but an incredible dive that I have experienced nowhere else. Almost anywhere you dive over here you are in the company of spinner dolphins, with them being attracted by the boat and then you just pop overboard and have a play. And in the whalesharks season you are garanteed to see these majestic creatures. "
Meagan Maher

Christmas Island Dive Centres

Wet'n'Dry Adventures

Christmas Island Wet'n'Dry Adventure
PO Box 121
Christmas Island
Indian Ocean
Australia 6798
Tel: (+ 61) 8 8 43 921 5290
Phone/Fax: (+ 61) 8 9164 8028
Mobile: 043 921 5290
E-mail: info@divingchristmas.com

Reviews: 5 Star Rating: Recommended (1)

"Hama at Wet and Dive adventures is fantastic. Safety is the first priority and if there is a whale shark in the water he would find it. He also has an uncanny knack of working out if you are nervous before you are getting worried. Fantastically priced. Very friendly. "
Bianca, 2012

Extra Divers Australia

North-eastern coast of Christmas Island
E-mail: info@extradivers.org

"We hope to welcome more scuba divers to Christmas Island- seriously the diving is fantastic! The natural environment is incredible. It’s just a must see destination! "
Extra Divers Australia, 2020

Pure Adrenalin

Aristocon
PO Box 5493
West End
Tel: 0427999333
E-mail: brett@pureadrenalin.com.au

Christmas Island Divers

Tel: (+61) 4 1975 9617
Mobile: 041 975 9617
E-mail: nicholasrduff@hotmail.com


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