Meet the site
Bare Island Left is the eastern side of the island, dived from the mainland rock platform beside the footbridge, and it is the gentlest of the Bare Island routes – the standard Open Water training dive and one of the best easy night dives in Sydney. From the platform a short snorkel towards the island puts you over a sandy shelf at about 6 m scattered with isolated rocks and kelp. Following the edge east and south-east with the reef on your right, the depth increases to 8–10 m and the reef edge becomes a proper wall. The feature of the dive is a canyon between the outer reef and a line of off-lying rocks at 9–10 m; thirty metres along it a large cave opens on the right, too tight and silty to enter but usually holding fish. Beyond, the rock walls give way to flatter kelp-covered ground with sand edges, and 12 m is reached towards the southern end. The sponge-covered rocks along the route carry large numbers of nudibranchs and half-banded seaperch, and since 2006 Sydney pygmy pipehorses have been found regularly, especially from December to February. Weedy seadragons were the site's signature – 25 were counted in March 2001 – and although numbers fluctuate they are still seen. Port Jackson sharks and wobbegongs rest under the ledges, and knightfish (pineapplefish), bearded cod, estuary catfish, bream, cuttlefish, blue groper, moray eels, crayfish, octopus and abalone are all regular. At night the crustaceans and squid come out and the dive is transformed. Because the depth never exceeds 12 m and the reef edge leads you out and back, it suits brand-new divers, refreshers and photographers happy to spend an hour in one small area, and it can be done in almost any weather short of a big north-easterly.
What you might see
Weedy seadragon, Sydney pygmy pipehorse (Dec–Feb), nudibranchs, half-banded seaperch, Port Jackson shark, wobbegong, pineapplefish (knightfish), bearded cod, estuary catfish, bream, cuttlefish, blue groper, moray eel, crayfish, octopus, abalone, squid (night)
Location
The sheltered eastern side of Bare Island, dived from the mainland rock platform left of the footbridge; sand and kelp at 6 m to a reef edge, canyon and large cave at 9–12 m.
Facilities nearby
Free parking on Anzac Parade and the La Perouse loop (fills by 8 am on weekends), toilets at La Perouse, cafés and fish and chips at the loop, gear-up on the grass above the bridge; air fills at Abyss (Ramsgate) and Sydney Dive Academy (Matraville).
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
michaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infoRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.