Meet the site
The Steps is the seadragon dive by which Sydney divers measure all others. Set on the southern side of the Botany Bay entrance directly opposite Bare Island, it takes its name from the stairway that descends the cliff from the Inscription Point car park at Captain Cook's Landing Place, where Cook first stepped ashore in 1770. Below the platform a kelp bed on boulders gives way to a boulder field whose rocks are covered in some of the most prolific sponge gardens in the city – sea fans, lace coral, ascidians and nudibranchs on every face – with overhangs and small swim-throughs at 7–9 m. North of the boulders the sand begins at about 10 m and slopes east to 15 m, and it is along this sand edge, in small bays cut back into the reef, that the common seadragons live. Counts of fourteen to twenty were routine in the 2000s; numbers have declined since about 2010 but the site remains the most reliable in Sydney, and pregnant males carrying eggs are seen from late winter into spring. The reddish weed on the boulders holds Sydney pygmy pipehorses, and wide-bodied pipehorses, sawtooth pipefish and even robust ghost pipefish have turned up. Stingrays, flathead, leatherjackets, bream, wrasse, sergeant baker, blue groper, moray eels and cuttlefish are everywhere, and grey nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles and seals make occasional appearances. Depths are modest and the route is a simple out-and-back along the sand edge, so it suits Open Water divers, but the platform entry and exit are unforgiving in north-easterly swell or at high tide, and the climb back up the stairs in full kit is a workout. It is the first dive of a classic Kurnell day – Steps, then Monuments – and one of the great temperate shore dives anywhere. McFadyen treats Inscription Point and The Steps as the same site; the drift from here to The Monuments is a separate entry.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
The Steps (Kurnell) is recorded as Shore/Rock Platform in Sydney South & Botany Bay. The listed access is shore. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is The Steps (Kurnell) suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book The Steps (Kurnell) through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Common (weedy) seadragon, Sydney pygmy pipehorse, wide-bodied pipehorse, sawtooth pipefish, robust ghost pipefish (rare), stingray, flathead, leatherjackets, bream, wrasse, sergeant baker, blue groper, moray eel, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, sea fans, lace coral, ascidians; grey nurse shark, hawksbill turtle and fur seal occasional
Location
Shore dive from the stairway at the Inscription Point car park, Captain Cook's Landing Place, Kurnell; boulder reef and sponge gardens from 3 m to a sand edge at 10–15 m facing Bare Island across the bay entrance. Sydney's classic weedy seadragon dive.
Facilities nearby
Inscription Point car park, toilets and barbecues at Captain Cook's Landing Place picnic area, Kurnell visitor centre and kiosk; air at Abyss (Ramsgate) or Pro Dive Cronulla.
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.infoabyss.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.
