Meet the site
The Looking Glass is Broughton Island's signature dive and one of the most photographed grey nurse shark encounters in NSW: a natural crack or arch cut clean through the rock in the shape of an inverted V, connecting open water to a chamber on the far side that local guides call the fish bowl, where sunlight streaming through creates a dramatic, almost cathedral-like lighting effect that is central to the site's appeal. Grey nurse sharks are described locally as practically guaranteed here, typically holding station either inside the passage or in the fish bowl beyond it, and the etiquette for the dive has been refined over decades of guiding: divers transit the gap in single file, usually keeping to the left, so that exhaled bubbles rise on one side of the passage while the sharks are left undisturbed on the other. Depths at the Looking Glass are shallow enough — an eight-metre top down to an eighteen-metre bottom — that surge can be a real factor in anything but calm conditions, and groups need to coordinate their approach and timing to avoid being pushed against the rock walls of the passage. Beyond the sharks, numbfish and cuttlefish are commonly seen, and the rare eastern blue devil fish has been recorded in a cave on the neighbouring Looking Glass Wall. The best conditions for the full visual effect are a sunny day with the sun close to overhead, when light penetrates the passage and chamber most dramatically; overcast days still deliver the sharks but lose much of the site's celebrated lighting. Because of the shallow depth and the crowd-pleasing combination of striking topography and reliable megafauna, the Looking Glass is dived on almost every Broughton Island trip and stands as one of the true must-do dives on the entire NSW coast.
What you might see
Grey nurse sharks (practically guaranteed), numbfish, cuttlefish, eastern blue devil fish (rare, nearby cave)
Location
A crack/arch through the rock at Broughton Island's northern grey nurse shark critical habitat, shaped like an inverted V, with a natural 'fish bowl' chamber on the far side lit dramatically by the sun.
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
diveplanit.compadi.commudgeediveandtravel.comRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.