Australia's Bounty - Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island

If you’re looking for some great swim-through action, wrecks and vibrant fish life, this Indian Ocean location — “Rotto,” as our Aussie mates affectionately call it — outside Perth is where to go.

Aboriginal Australians first named the island “Wadjemup,” meaning “land across the water,” but a Dutch explorer later gave the island the current, rather unkind moniker, which indeed translates into “rat’s nest.”

All dive sites are part of the Rottnest Island Marine Reserve, but one site, Crystal Palace, is a glittering gem with its cool waters studded with orange and rust-brown sponges among the thicket of kelp beds. There are too many caves to count that are worth exploring amid a white sandy plain where stingrays of all sizes and varieties alternately lounge and hunt. Little yellow-and-white western footballer sweeps dart around in groups, and schools of small common bullseyes are everywhere. At nearby Wallis Island, there are even more swim-throughs, and you’re likely to find huge schools of silver drummers or buffalo breams swimming circles around you, forming a band so thick and hypnotic you can’t help but pause and marvel at the phenomenon. Look closely on the rocks for nudibranchs and under them for crawfish.

Elsewhere, there are about a dozen historic wrecks to explore, and nondiving partners can enjoy snorkeling at most sites. — Gil Griffin