DIVE CENTRE & OPERATOR DIRECTORY

Sundive Byron Bay

Byron Bay

Byron Bay's PADI 5 Star dive centre, running three daily departures to Nguthungulli Julian Rocks with training from Try Scuba to Divemaster.

padi

About this operator

Sundive Byron Bay runs daily diving at Julian Rocks, and for most visitors that single site is the entire reason to dive Byron. It is a short boat ride from the beach to one of the most biologically interesting dive sites on the Australian east coast.

Julian Rocks — Nguthungulli — sits about two and a half kilometres offshore inside the Cape Byron Marine Park, at an ecological transition where tropical and temperate influences meet. Visit NSW records more than twenty shark and ray species there, and the mix changes noticeably through the year as the East Australian Current strengthens and weakens.

That seasonality is the most useful thing to understand before booking. Leopard sharks and manta rays arrive with warm summer water; grey nurse sharks are associated with the cooler months. Both are correct answers to "when should I dive Byron Bay", and they are roughly six months apart. Turtles, wobbegongs and eagle rays are present year-round.

The site accommodates a wide range of experience, which is unusual for somewhere this good. Shallow gutters and swim-throughs at the Nursery and Cod Hole suit newly certified divers; deeper terrain at Hugo's Trench and the Needles gives experienced divers somewhere to go. Operators select the route to match the group and the conditions on the day.

Sundive advertises daily Julian Rocks diving, introductory scuba for non-certified visitors, and PADI training through to Divemaster level — which makes it one of the more complete training pathways available at a destination site rather than a metropolitan centre. Learning here means qualifying dives at a genuinely excellent site rather than in a sheltered bay.

Listed services

Service information is recorded from operator research. Availability and requirements should be confirmed directly.

  • Boat
  • Pool
  • Air fills
  • Freediving
  • Equipment hire
  • Equipment sales
  • Beginner training
  • Continuing education
  • Professional Training

Find the right fit

Ask about the sites you want to visit, recent conditions, group sizes, equipment and experience requirements.

Read our guide to choosing a dive centre

Sources & further reading

sundive.com.auSundive Byron Bay — PADI dive centre listingSundive Byron Bay — address (Campendium)

Sites linked in the directory

Trips are subject to current operator schedules and conditions.

NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Ballina & Evans Head

Ballina – Black Head / Lennox reef system

A little-dived stretch of reef between Ballina and Lennox Head with a seasonal chance of grey nurse sharks and virtually no diver…

BoatUp to 22 m
Details need confirmation
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Tweed & 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.

Shore or BoatUp to 16 m
Details need confirmation
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteShore/Rock Platform

Tweed & Byron Bay

Cape Byron headland dives

Diving and snorkelling at mainland Australia's most easterly point, on the rare calm day; otherwise a scenic novelty rather than…

ShoreUp to 8 m
Details need confirmation
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteIsland

Tweed & Byron Bay

Cook Island – Northern Ledge

Turtle-rich aquatic reserve minutes from Tweed Heads/Coolangatta with multiple moorings so it can be dived in almost any swell;…

BoatUp to 22 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Cod Hole

Julian Rocks' signature swim-through/cave, packed with wobbegongs year-round and grey nurse sharks resting in the passage through…

BoatUp to 22 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Cray Cave

A narrow swim-through on Julian Rocks' most exposed flank, one of the best places on the island to find resting grey nurse sharks…

BoatUp to 25 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Hugo's Trench

A pair of sheer-walled parallel trenches offering shelter from swell and some of the best macro life at Julian Rocks.

BoatUp to 18 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the sitePinnacle/Bommie

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Mackerel Boulder

A current-swept boulder near the Needles known for dense schools of pelagic fish holding in the current.

BoatUp to 17 m
Details need confirmation
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteCave/Cavern

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Rock Cod Cave

A small cave overhang on Julian Rocks' southern flank with a large resident black cod, close to Cray Cave and Gorgonian Hollow.

BoatUp to 24 m
Details need confirmation
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the sitePinnacle/Bommie

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – Split Bommie

A distinctive split rock formation within the sheltered Nursery, easy and photogenic, popular with course students.

BoatUp to 12 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the sitePinnacle/Bommie

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – The Needles

Julian Rocks' big-animal site: a summer leopard shark aggregation among towering bommies, plus regular manta rays and schooling…

BoatUp to 15 m
NSWYouDive mascot illustration; not a photograph of the siteReef

Tweed & Byron Bay

Julian Rocks – The Nursery

The most colourful, fish-dense and sheltered quarter of Julian Rocks; the classic beginner, training and snorkel site where…

BoatUp to 12 m