Meet the site
Anemone Bay, on the sheltered northern side of North Solitary Island, has built a reputation among Australian divers as one of the very best places in the country to see anemonefish, with local and visiting divers alike describing it as holding the densest carpets of anemones — and by extension the largest resident population of clownfish — anywhere on the mainland coast. The bay sits in the lee of the island, which keeps it workable even when southerly swell is making other sections of North Solitary too rough, and the site's sheltered aspect is part of why such extensive, undisturbed anemone beds have been able to establish here. Depths in the main part of the bay run a comfortable 15 to 25 m over sand and low reef thickly carpeted with anemones hosting Clark's, red and false clown anemonefish among others, while a shear wall on the eastern side of the bay drops away to nearly 30 m for those wanting a deeper extension to the dive. Away from the anemones, the site holds a strong general reef-fish population along with cuttlefish, wobbegong sharks, and — in the warmer months — the occasional manta ray moving through, plus turtles and grouper using the surrounding structure. Cleaning stations dotted through the bay attract larger fish and are a reliable spot to hover and watch interactions play out. Wooli Dive Centre, run for decades by Stan Young and widely regarded by visiting divers as one of the best small operations in NSW, is the only way to reach the site with any regularity, running a purpose-built jet-propulsion vessel able to cross the shallow, shifting Wooli River bar that would stop a conventional trailer boat. The 75-minute run each way means a full-day commitment, and the trip is genuinely at the mercy of the weather given how exposed North Solitary Island is compared with the more sheltered Coffs Harbour dive grounds further south. For anyone serious about clownfish photography or simply wanting to see one of the country's best anemone aggregations, though, Anemone Bay justifies the distance and the wait for the right conditions.
What you might see
Multiple anemonefish species (Clark's, red, false clown, three-spot dascyllus, orange anemonefish) in dense anemone beds, turtles, wobbegongs, manta rays (summer), cuttlefish, lionfish, moray eels, blue groper, Queensland groper
Location
Bay on the northern side of North Solitary Island, sheltered from southerly swell, reported to hold the densest population of anemones and anemonefish on the Australian mainland coast.
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.infojettydive.com.auRecord updated 27 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.