New South Wales
Diving in Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay's white sand and clear water make it the best-known dive destination on the NSW south coast. The Docks, Stoney Creek and the Arch on the northern headland, and Cabbage Tree Point on the south, are boat dives with sponge gardens, grey nurse sharks in season and fur seals from Drum and Drumsticks. Inside the bay, Hyams Beach, Murrays Beach and the Green Patch reefs are gentle shore dives with seadragons and octopus.
Dive sites in this region
ReefJervis Bay
Aztec Reef
Rocks patterned with 'Aztec' algal designs, sea dragons including juveniles, and huge fish schools.
Pinnacle/BommieJervis Bay
Bombora Reef
Four stepped walls from a near-surface reef top to 24 m sand, with big boulders, swim-throughs and cuttlefish.
Cave/CavernJervis Bay
Cathedral Cave
Cathedral-sized sea cave with an air chamber, 20–25 m visibility inside and resting sharks.
ReefJervis Bay
Crocodile Head
A huge L-shaped arch rising from 5–7 m to 20 m above the surface, caves and plentiful blue devilfish.
WallJervis Bay
Crocodile Head Gorge
A sheer-walled dead-end gorge dropping to 50–55 m, packed with colourful deep sessile life.
ReefJervis Bay
Darts Point
Easy drift over low sponge-covered ridges and boulders with giant cuttlefish.
ReefJervis Bay
Drum and Drumsticks
Playful fur seals, a large swim-through cave and old practice bombs on a multilevel reef beside the Wandra wreck.
Aircraft WreckJervis Bay
Fairey Firefly VX381
An intact 1950s naval fighter on sand at 13 m, with open cockpit, seat and harness and an X-configured propeller.
ReefJervis Bay
Inner Point Perpendicular
Sheltered multilevel reef with shallow caves under the cliffs at the corner of Point Perpendicular; a gentle drift on the flood…
ReefJervis Bay
Little Egypt
Five pyramid rocks above a steep boulder slope from 5 m to 34 m riddled with caves and swim-throughs.
Shore/Rock PlatformJervis Bay
Murrays Beach
Jervis Bay's most reliable shore dive – reef, small caves and seagrass with rays, groper and seahorses in Booderee National Park.
ReefJervis Bay
North Bowen Island
Canyons and swim-throughs among huge boulders with many sea dragons – the reliable choice in southerly weather.
ReefJervis Bay
Point Perpendicular Sponge Gardens
Sponge-covered giant boulders from 34 m up to balanced-rock caves and swim-throughs at 5–7 m under the lighthouse cliffs.
WallJervis Bay
Pyramid Rock (Bowen Island)
Hundreds of sea whips each hosting tiger anemones beneath a 100 m wall at the pyramid rock.
Cave/CavernJervis Bay
Spider Cave
An 80–100 m cave with three stacked entrances leading up under the cliff to a far end at 7 m.
ReefJervis Bay
Steamers Beach Seal Colony
Close, playful encounters with 30–40 resident Australian fur seals in clear water.
WallJervis Bay
Stoney Creek
A deep sea-whip and gorgonian garden at 37–50 m in 25–35 m visibility – one of NSW's finest deep dives.
WreckJervis Bay
TSS Wandra
Boiler, twin engines, shafts and propellers of a 1915 timber steamer beside the Drum and Drumsticks seal colony.
WallJervis Bay
The Arch (Jervis Bay)
An underwater stone 'bridge' at 37 m in a deep gully, with a 100 m vertical wall, 25–30 m visibility and winter Port Jackson…
ReefJervis Bay
The Docks
A compact cluster of caves and swim-throughs – Double Decker, Vertical Swim-through, Long Cave – with sea dragons, blue devils…
ReefJervis Bay
The Nursery
Exceptionally dense fish schools on a shallow, sheltered reef – ideal for training, photography and night dives.
Cave/CavernJervis Bay
The Whorehouse
A labyrinth under a giant slab on pillars, with a dozen entrances, a central column and eerie light shafts.
Cave/CavernJervis Bay
Elles Cave
An L-shaped swim-through cave from a 17 m entrance to an 8 m exit into a sheltered bay.
Shore/Rock PlatformJervis Bay
Green Patch
Calm, family-friendly beach with octopus and squid around the rock platforms, beside a national park campground.