Tasmania
Diving in Tasmania East Coast
Bicheno is Tasmania's dive capital. Governor Island Marine Reserve, a few hundred metres offshore, has more than 20 sites in granite: the Castle, Magic Garden, the Golden Bommies, the Canyon and the Wave Deflection Wall, all covered in sponges, sea whips, jewel anemones and butterfly perch. Further afield, the Bay of Fires, Wineglass Bay and Maria Island add wrecks, kelp and seals.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Tasmania East Coast
Tasmania’s directory separates the Tasman Peninsula, east coast, Hobart and other coastal or island regions. Choose a practical base before trying to connect many sites in a short visit. Ask a local provider about the exact experience, exposure protection and equipment support you will need rather than transferring assumptions from a tropical holiday.
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 52 published site records in Tasmania East Coast. The recorded categories include reef (15), shore/rock platform (14), island (7), pinnacle/bommie (7). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Tasmania East Coast 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 Tasmania →Ask before booking
- Which equipment sizes and models can be reserved?
- What local conditions should we discuss before choosing a trip?
- How much flexibility is needed around regional transport?
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 Tasmania East Coast?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 52 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 Tasmania East Coast 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: Tourism Tasmania — official travel planning ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Dive sites in this region
Shore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Buxton Point (Swansea)
Fissures, a 50 m cave and good fish habitat on the Great Oyster Bay coast.
Details need confirmationWallTasmania East Coast
Cape Sonnerat (Schouten Island)
Rated 10/10 by the regional guide: granite caverns at 30-40 m lit by a flue-like opening, with clouds of butterfly perch and…
Details need confirmationIslandTasmania East Coast
Christmas Island (Mayfield)
A small island with a sheltered lee-side kelp garden and a more exposed seaward reef.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Cod Rock (Bicheno)
A quieter shore alternative to Waubs Bay with colourful zoanthids, for calm days only.
Details need confirmationIslandTasmania East Coast
Diamond Island (Bicheno)
A small island reef off Redbill Beach with large banded morwong and a former kelp forest.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Flensers Point (Okehampton)
A sheltered bay with cliffs and small caves - but only with landowner permission.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Fossil Bay (Maria Island)
An easy, sheltered limestone reef next to Darlington, with two contrasting ends.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Gates Bluff Bay (Schouten Island)
A sheltered, clear-water weed garden - the easy second dive at Schouten Island.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Gleaner Reef (Schouten Island)
A shallow weed reef under the granite mountains of Schouten Island, named after a wrecked fishing boat.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Governor Island Wave Deflection Wall
The easiest snorkel in Bicheno, right beside the car park and next to the marine reserve.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Hepburn Point (Coles Bay)
An easy, sheltered boulder reef right beside Coles Bay township.
Details need confirmationIslandTasmania East Coast
Isle du Nord (Maria Island)
An easy island dive by Darlington, inside the no-take reserve.
Details need confirmationIslandTasmania East Coast
Lemon Rock (Wineglass Bay)
A remote granite islet at the mouth of Wineglass Bay with a sheer drop to 40 m and clouds of butterfly perch.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Luther Point (Orford)
A shallow fringing reef that stays diveable in easterly weather.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieTasmania East Coast
Mistaken Cape (Maria Island)
An expedition dive on Maria Island's eastern tip: 15 m walls of yellow zoanthids and spires in exceptionally clear water.
Details need confirmationWallTasmania East Coast
Mount Storey Cliffs (Schouten Island)
Granite boulders at 20-25 m below Schouten Island's highest peak, with unusually large banded morwong.
Details need confirmationPinnacle/BommieTasmania East Coast
North-Eastern Bommie (Maria Island)
A fish-filled outcrop with a 5 m wall of yellow zoanthids.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Painted Cliffs (Maria Island)
A gentle snorkel beneath Maria Island's iron-stained sandstone cliffs, inside the marine reserve.
Details need confirmationIslandTasmania East Coast
Picnic Island (Coles Bay)
A sheltered sandstone island reef with surprisingly abundant fish - the fallback in north-easterly weather.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Point Geographe (Schouten Island)
Shallow granite mazes and swim-throughs with huge banded morwong and often excellent visibility.
Details need confirmationReefTasmania East Coast
Sandstone Bluff (Schouten Island)
Sandstone ledges and a large swim-through at 10 m in the shelter of Schouten Island's cliffs.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Sleepy Bay (Freycinet)
A quiet granite cove on Freycinet's ocean side with a cavern-undercut bommie, reached by a short steep track.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Spikey Beach (Swansea)
An easy headland dive between two beaches next to the historic Spiky Bridge.
Details need confirmationShore/Rock PlatformTasmania East Coast
Spring Beach (Orford)
An hour from Hobart, an easy headland dive with stingarees on the sand edge and Maria Island views.
Details need confirmation