Lighthouse Bay
21.8833°S 114.1500°E · reef
Lighthouse Bay is the primary dive area at the northern tip of the North West Cape peninsula, encompassing three named sites — Blizzard Ridge, The Labyrinth, and Gullivers — within a fully protected sanctuary zone.
Overview
Located above the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, Lighthouse Bay is a sanctuary zone where fishing and anchoring are prohibited, producing notably abundant fish life in an area seldom disturbed. The underwater landscape is characterised by rocky outcrops, coral ledges, and deep cracks in the seabed that create interesting topography across a depth range of 12–15 metres.
All three sub-sites within the bay are accessible on a single boat trip. Dive Ningaloo operates double-dive tours here, with all diving suitable for beginners and Discover Scuba participants. Marine life includes reef sharks, moray eels, giant cod, lionfish, schooling glassfish, sea snakes, turtles, and a variety of hard and soft corals. Between March and July, whale sharks aggregate in the nearby open water, and oceanic manta rays visit seasonally.
Site Information
- Location: Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth, Western Australia (northern tip of North West Cape)
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Maximum Depth: 15 meters
- Visibility: 5–20 metres (weather dependent)
- Sub-sites: Blizzard Ridge, The Labyrinth, Gullivers
Sources: Dive Ningaloo — Lighthouse Bay, Ningaloo Whale Sharks — Exmouth Diving, Tech Dive Travels — Ningaloo Sites. Last updated 2026-06-18.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
76452 verified species observations (125 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1957 and 2023, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Chelonia mydas · Green turtle
- Chordata
- Mammalia
- Abudefduf sordidus · Black-spot Sergeant
- Polydactylus plebeius
- Spratelloides delicatulus
- Actinopteri
- Acanthurus triostegus
- Carcharhinus
- Kyphosus
- Lethrinus nebulosus
- Alepes vari
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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