Barrenjoey (Tenth Island)

Meet the site

Barrenjoey is the divers' name for Tenth Island, a low rock off Lulworth in Bass Strait. The Marine Life Network guide rates it 8 out of 10 as Tasmania's largest accessible seal colony, with 100-200 Australian fur seals, kelpies and schools of fish in shallow water of about 4 m. It describes the seals as playful and interactive, the smell as strong, and warns that pupping in late spring increases the shark risk.

The shallow depth allows long interactions with the seals, making this one of the best wildlife encounters in northern Tasmania for divers and snorkellers with a boat. Treat the depths, positions and conditions given here as a starting point, and confirm them with local divers and a depth sounder before committing to a dive.

The far north-east corner of Tasmania, from Eddystone Point to Cape Portland and Swan Island, is one of the most remote stretches of the state's coast. Roads north of St Helens and around Gladstone are partly gravel, the nearest shops are at Gladstone, Derby or Bridport, and there are no dive services at all. The Marine Life Network guide, written from the experience of Launceston divers, is still the only detailed published account of most of these sites.

Where Bass Strait meets the Tasman Sea around Cape Portland and the Swan Island group, tidal streams run hard, and the guide repeatedly stresses slack water, safety lines and experienced boat handlers for the wreck sites. The Royal Hobart Hospital chamber is five hours or more away by road, so any diving here should be conservative and planned with an evacuation route in mind.

What you might see

Australian fur seal (100-200), kelpies, schooling fish, wrasse

Location

Tenth Island, known to divers as Barrenjoey, off Lulworth east of the Tamar River - Tasmania's largest accessible fur seal colony.

Facilities nearby

Lulworth: ramp only. George Town: shops and fuel. Air fills in Launceston.