Western Australia

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

A snorkel channel called The Rip, where the current does the swimming for you

These islands hide one of the best natural snorkelling spots in the country, and Direction Island proves it, a channel known simply as The Rip, where a gentle current carries swimmers past reef sharks and coral without needing to kick at all. The islands themselves form a genuine coral atoll, 27 small islands scattered around a single lagoon. Home Island keeps the heart of the Cocos Malay community, culture and language carried here for generations. This is about as far from anywhere as Australia gets.