Perth and Rottnest Island (Wadjemup)

• Plan for morning dives and snorkels. In summer, afternoons can become windy and choppy.
• Carry an SMB and deploy it for ascents when boat traffic is possible. Use a torch in caves and overhead terrain.
• Avoid exposed Rottnest sites when swell is running. Move to a sheltered bay rather than forcing an entry.
• For freediving: never train alone. Use a float, do formal buddy checks, and keep line training away from moorings and traffic.
• For shore sites like Coogee, enter and exit slowly to avoid fin strikes and contact with structure. Treat the wreck and art trail as no-touch.
• Follow standard no-fly-after-diving guidance if you are flying onward after diving.

Rottnest Island has on-island services (rangers and a nursing post) but serious emergencies may require evacuation to Perth. Perth has major hospitals and Western Australia's public hyperbaric medicine service is based at Fiona Stanley Hospital. If decompression illness or arterial gas embolism is suspected, call emergency services (000), administer oxygen if trained and available, keep the diver warm, and seek urgent medical assessment.

Dive insurance (for example DAN) is strongly recommended for visitors and can help coordinate care and evacuation costs.