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.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Jervis Bay
Connect the trip to a practical Jervis Bay base
Compare where the operator meets guests, where you will stay and how equipment is collected. A bay location in the directory is not a promise that it will be used on your departure. Ask which alternatives the provider might select and how the choice is communicated. For a group with non-divers, establish whether activities share a boat or need separate bookings, and what the full departure-to-return schedule looks like.
One useful question: What is the proposed meeting point and how will we be told if the itinerary changes?
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 47 published site records in Jervis Bay. The recorded categories include reef (17), shore/rock platform (12), cave/cavern (7), wall (6). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Jervis Bay site cards to compare recorded access and depth, then open the individual pages for the map accuracy and source notes. Sites grouped in a region are not necessarily close enough to combine in one day.
Research operators in New South Wales →Ask before booking
- Where does the trip meet, and is parking or a transfer needed?
- Which alternative itinerary might be offered?
- What local park or access information should we check?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Jervis Bay?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 47 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit Jervis Bay for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: Destination NSW — beaches and water activities ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
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.