Australia / Extra Divers Christmas Island
The dives around Christmas Island are a unique experience. Christmas Island is part of Australia, and only 3½ hours from Perth. It is located in the Indian Ocean Territories, approximately 350km south of Java.
For nature lovers and divers looking for a place without mass tourism, Christmas Island is the perfect destination. In addition to coral gardens with huge table corals, there are steep drop-offs up to several hundred metres deep. More than 200 coral species live here, as well as endemic fish populations and some big pelagic creatures such as whale sharks and mantas often make an appearance.
The visibility is excellent all year round - usually over 30 metres - and the temperature stays between 24 to 29 Celsius, making every dive a comfortable affair. We can accommodate divers of all experiences and offer both SSI and PADI courses if you want to add to your qualifications.
Our boat has ample space for 16 divers and gear.
Diving/Dive spots
You'll find untouched dive sites, caves and grottos, sharks, dolphins, endemic fish, steep drop-offs, rare birds, lonely beaches, dense jungle, waterfalls and blowholes, as well as the famous crabs are waiting for visitors to this gem in the Indian Ocean!
Diverse spots with caves, drop offs, coral gardens and good chances of shark encounters make Christmas Island a top destination for divers.
Macro lovers will get their money's worth on the reefs around Christmas Island: ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps and dragon moray eels provide great photo opportunities.
The dives around Christmas Island are a unique experience. In addition to coral gardens with huge table corals, there are steep drop-offs – several hundred metres deep.
More than 200 coral species live here, as well as endemic fish and the big ones of the seas. Different species of sharks - especially during the summer months – can been seen here. Apart from white tip and grey reef sharks, the curious silky sharks at the early morning dives are a real peculiarity. With a little luck you can also encounter hammerheads, whale sharks and mantas during the dives.
Another treat of Christmas Island are the numerous caves and caverns. In the "Thundercliff Cave" you can even go to the surface inside the cave, walk into the cave and admire the big stalactites.
The visibility of more than 30 metres is excellent almost all year round and on the boat trips you will sometimes encounter dolphins and during the whale shark season the gigantic plankton eaters often appear nearby.
The water temperature ranges between 24 and 28 degrees all year round.
We are the only dive centre on the island to offer Nitrox.
Extra Divers Christmas Island offers daily half-day trips, 2 dives per day, that start at 07:30 in the morning and return back around 12:00 in the afternoon.
In busy times, boats fill up quickly and afternoon trips also go out regularly for 2 dives as well (starting at 13:30).
We do 2 dives, with each dive being max 30 meters (or to your training depth if shallower) for max 1 hour.
In between the dives we make a minimum 1 hour surface interval and move to the next location for the second dive.
This schedule is optimal because it allows you time to explore the underwater world and then have the other half day to explore the island. The boat goes out regularly.
Non divers are welcome to see the island from the sea or snorkel.
For those interested in Technical Diving, please contact us, as we can offer support.
During the months of January to April we often carry out maintenance activities.
To ensure the boat is available during your holiday, please contact us before confirming accommodation or flights.
When to dive?
We love diving all year round, and find it difficult to answer the best time to come!
There are two distinct seasons: the dry or “trades” from April to November with winds coming from the south and south east; and the wet or “swell” season from November to April with winds coming from the north west.
This affects access to dive sites, with the north and west coasts more accessible during the dry season and sites on the east only accessible in the wet.
Launching facilities for many boats become restricted during the wet, when swells are at their highest, but this is also the doldrums season and can offer some of the best diving of the year.
Our boat is too large to launch each day, so most of the year it is moored in Flying Fish Cove, with the ability to move to the east coast when necessary.
For many who want to see Whale sharks- they visit the island generally from October to April but have been seen outside these months all along the coast, even on the shore dive from the Jetty.
There is however no guarantee, making their appearance even more special for divers and snorkellers.
There are large schools of spinner dolphins seen year-round and manta rays that seem to appear around the same time as the whale sharks, presumably to feed on the red crab larvae.
When the water is cooler from August to September, there are upwellings from the Java Trench that bring nutrients and sometimes lower visibility (~15 m). Generally speaking, visibility is around 20 – 25m but can increase to around 50 – 60 m during the doldrums and just before the wet in October to December.
July to October, is the least rainy and the sunniest period of the year; in particular, the months of August and September stand out as the driest.
Our busiest time is from October to December, with space a premium on the boat, particularly during the red crab migration period. Our international guests book years ahead!
Team & Education
David Watchorn, Director & Manager- Extra Divers Australia
Originally from Melbourne, Australia. Dave has been involved with Extra Divers on Christmas Island since 2016. He learnt to dive in Egypt, and has lived in the UK for 20 years- “hence his accent”
He’s a multi agency instructor, SSI, PADI, BSAC and IAHD, able to converse in German and French for our European guests.
Dave can teach all levels of diving from Try Scuba to Technical Rebreather diving.
He’s dived all around the world, UK, Iceland, Maldives, Egypt, Truk Lagoon, Galapagos, Croatia, Malta, Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne - everything from a skin suit to heated drysuits. Single tank to Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR).
With a huge knowledge of the island underwater, and on land- he can spend hours explaining the unique island he fell in love with, not to mention some secret locations!
Facilities
We have 2 dive boats, Nemo & Ocean Diver. These are the largest commercial tour boats on Christmas Island. The boats are normally moored in Flying Fish Cove, and we load/offload passengers and equipment from the end of the jetty. Our boats are nice and big (11 meters long, 4 meters wide), the roof offers full sun protection, and they even have a marine toilet! We offer snacks and tea, coffee, hot chocolate & drinking water on board and have all the latest safety equipment required by Australian regulations. They have plenty of space for dive equipment under the seats, and a dry area in the bow for day bags. There are ladders on the stern made specially for divers and snorkellers to come up with fins, so it's an easy boat to go diving from. While our boat may take up to 20 people on board, it is rare to have that many, leaving lots of space.
We have a full range of rental equipment, with the option of full equipment hire (BCD, regulator, shorty wetsuit, dive computer, SMB) or any combination of the above. Fins, mask and snorkel are also available. We also are the only dive centre on the island to offer Nitrox. Our dive tanks are DIN and Yoke/INT. Every diver is also required to carry his/her own SMB (surface marker buoy) for signalling at the end of the dive.
Payment on-site
Mastercard and Visacard are accepted in the dive center.
There is no ATM any more on the island. It is recommended to take cash with you.
Money can be exchanged in the post office and it is possible to withdraw money from the bank. However, this is only associated with passport and a considerable amount of time.
Environement
The Hugh Dale Waterfall, The Blowholes, Margaret Knoll, the Grotto and Ethel & Lily Beach - just to name a few highlights!
At Christmas you can experience nature in its purest form. A holiday full of adventure, breathtaking scenery, incredible diving experiences and something completely different than other holiday destinations.
The trips on the island are for nature lovers and adventurous, who are also a jungle hike, where it can be a little dirty, do not be afraid!
Good hiking boots are definitely included in the luggage, if you want to do something else besides diving on the island.
