AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS
Diving in New South Wales
Explore 685 listed dive sites and find the local knowledge to help plan your visit.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Build the trip around a coastal base
New South Wales offers a long sequence of coastal regions rather than one central dive gateway. Our directory separates Sydney areas, the north and mid-north coast, and the south coast so that you can compare a realistic local base. A Sydney stay and a Jervis Bay or Coffs Harbour trip need different transport and departure arrangements; do not treat a state-level search as a list of nearby sites.
Choose the setting, then the trip Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 685 published site records across New South Wales. The recorded categories include reef (227), shore/rock platform (162), wreck (89), wall (70). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Start with one of the regional pages below. State-wide totals are useful for browsing, but the actual choice should be made at the level of an operator, a site and a proposed itinerary.
Research operators in New South Wales →Ask before booking
- Where does the trip meet, and is parking or a transfer needed?
- Which alternative itinerary might be offered?
- What local park or access information should we check?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Sydney regions
Compare the harbour, northern beaches and southern Sydney records separately. Confirm the meeting point and actual entry or vessel arrangements.
North and mid-north coast
Start with a town and its operators, then ask which offshore or local trips are offered during your dates. Wildlife photographs do not guarantee an encounter.
South coast and islands
Compare Jervis Bay, Narooma and other regional bases by travel time and departure availability. Keep island travel arrangements distinct from mainland road-trip assumptions.
Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in New South Wales?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 685 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit New South Wales for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: Destination NSW — beaches and water activities ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Find your region
Dive sites to explore
ReefBallina & Evans Head
Ballina – Lennox Reef
A quieter northern extension of the Ballina reef system toward Lennox Point, seeing very little diver traffic.
Details need confirmationReefBallina & Evans Head
Ballina – Riordan's Shoal
A more distant, deeper offshore shoal north-east of Ballina, seeing very little diver traffic.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformUlladulla
Bannister Head
Summer-friendly shore dive sheltered from north-easterlies, close to Mollymook.
Details need confirmationReefSydney Northern Beaches
Barrenjoey Head / Palm Beach
Sea-dragon gullies and boulder slopes beneath the Barrenjoey lighthouse at the mouth of Broken Bay – the last reef on the…
Details need confirmationReefPort Macquarie & Camden Haven
Barry's Bay (Port Macquarie)
A varied, multi-gutter bay north of Port Macquarie popular for turtles, octopus, cuttlefish and wobbegongs.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Bellambi Point
Deeper-than-usual northern Illawarra shore dive with Port Jackson and blind sharks under the ledges.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformSydney Northern Beaches
Bilgola Beach (northern headland)
Kelp gardens and a sea-dragon sand line at 12–15 m off the palm-fringed northern headland of Bilgola.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformEden & Green Cape
Bittangabee Bay
Secluded enclosed bay with whaling-era ruins on the Light to Light walk.
Details need confirmationReefForster & Seal Rocks
Black Head Reef (Forster)
A flexible reef offering both shore and boat access off Blackhead Beach, useful as a no-charter-required option.
Details need confirmationCave/CavernWollongong & Kiama
Blue Devil Cave
Blue devilfish in the cave and one of Bass Point's best chances of a Sydney pygmy pipehorse.
Details need confirmationReefSydney Northern Beaches
Blue Moon (North Head)
An outer North Head boulder-slope anchorage between Checkpoint Charlie and Runway, dropping to 28 m on the ocean face.
Details need confirmationReefCoffs Harbour & Solitary Islands
Boambee Beach reef
A minor, essentially undocumented headland reef between Sawtell and Bonville Creek.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Boat Harbour (Gerringong)
Sheltered ocean pool and small harbour with easy snorkelling and good family facilities.
Details need confirmationReefCentral Coast
Boat Trailer Reef
The closest boat dive to Terrigal Haven, with an encrusted boat trailer as a landmark and the remains of the 1917 steamer…
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformSydney Northern Beaches
Bongin Bongin Bay (Mona Vale Basin)
A headland-sheltered sandy bay with seagrass seahorses, sea dragons on the kelp edge and an easy beach entry – Mona Vale's…
Details need confirmationReefJervis Bay
Bowen Island Multilevel
A wall-and-slope profile for every level, with a chance of sunfish at cleaning stations.
Details need confirmationReefEden & Green Cape
Boyds Tower Reef
Reef below the 1847 Boyd's Tower on Red Point, next to the Eden tug wrecks.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformSydney Harbour
Bradleys Head (shore reef)
Kelp reef under the HMAS Sydney mast at the pivot of the harbour's shipping channel – the shore gateway to the Currajong and…
Details need confirmationReefTweed & Byron Bay
Broken Head reefs
A rarely dived inshore reef inside a protected coastal nature reserve south of Byron Bay — solitude on the rare flat day.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformSydney South & Botany Bay
Bronte (Bronte-Coogee Aquatic Reserve)
Quiet kelp and reef at the northern end of the Bronte-Coogee Aquatic Reserve beside the historic Bronte Baths.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformPort Stephens
Broughton Island – Providence, Esmeralda Cove & Coal Shaft Bay
Broughton Island's sheltered, camping-permitted southern and western bays — a scenic, calm-water complement to the island's…
Details need confirmationIslandUlladulla
Brush Island
Quiet island reef at the northern tip of Batemans Marine Park, with grey nurse shark habitat and the Northern Firth wreck…
Details need confirmationReefCoffs Harbour & Solitary Islands
Bullocky Reef
A local backup reef used by Jetty Dive Centre when the Solitary Islands are inaccessible.
Details need confirmationReefBermagui & Tathra
Bunga Head
Unexplored headland reef in Mimosa Rocks National Park north of Tathra.
Details need confirmation