Meet the site
Munro Bight is the long curve of coast between Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar, backed by some of the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere – the dolerite columns here rise hundreds of metres straight out of the sea along the Three Capes Track. Its best-known dive is the wreck of the Nord in 42 m, but the reef under the cliffs offers excellent diving in its own right. Scuba Diving magazine describes Munro Bight as a boat dive with a thriving giant kelp forest where seals are regularly seen, one of the remaining stands on this coast after the widespread loss of giant kelp in eastern Tasmania. Beneath the canopy, boulder slopes and walls step down into deeper water, with sponges, sea whips and jewel anemones on shaded rock, and schools of butterfly perch and bullseyes. Fur seals from the colonies at Cape Pillar and Tasman Island often join divers in the kelp. Rock lobster, wrasse, banded and magpie morwong, and leatherjackets are common, and draughtboard sharks rest in the crevices. Because the bight is sheltered from westerly winds by the cliffs, it can be flat on westerly days even when the swell is small, but it is completely exposed to southerly and easterly swell and is one of the more remote dive areas on the peninsula. A typical day combines a deep Nord dive with a shallower kelp dive here during the surface interval. Kelp condition varies with marine heatwaves; ask the operators what to expect. Above water the bight is part of the Three Capes Track landscape, and walkers on the clifftops sometimes watch boats and seals far below.
What you might see
Giant kelp (variable), bull kelp, fur seals, sponges, sea whips, jewel anemones, butterfly perch, bullseyes, rock lobster, wrasse, banded morwong, magpie morwong, draughtboard sharks
Location
Large bight between Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar beneath some of the tallest sea cliffs in Australia; kelp forest and walls, and the site of the SS Nord.
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
scubadiving.comdiscovertasmania.com.aumarinelife.org.auRecord updated 27 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.