New South Wales
Diving in Wollongong & Kiama
Between Sydney and the Shoalhaven the Illawarra coast has a quiet collection of shore reefs, rock platforms and boat dives. Bass Point at Shellharbour is the standout, a marine reserve with the Gutter, the Arch and a resident population of blue gropers and Port Jackson sharks; Kiama's Cathedral Rocks and Bushrangers Bay are also worth the drive.
Dive sites in this region
Shore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Afghan Reef
Kelp-covered reef and wall below the Kiama Blowhole with good schools and sea dragons, and a safe ramp exit.
Pinnacle/BommieWollongong & Kiama
Bass Point Bommie
Pinnacle with a sheer southern wall and massive schools of yellowtail, seapike and nannygai.
Jetty/PierWollongong & Kiama
Bass Point Gravel Loader
Shallow, sheltered jetty dive with a resident group of grey nurse sharks and outstanding night diving.
WallWollongong & Kiama
Bass Point Island South
A big sponge-and-gorgonian-covered vertical wall and steep boulder slope with dense schools in the shallows.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
Blind Shark Reef
Resident blind sharks in the overhangs and sea dragons on the sand, a minute from Kiama Harbour.
Shore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Bushrangers Bay
Protected amphitheatre bay with sea dragons, pygmy pipehorses, cuttlefish and seasonal grey nurse sharks – a no-take aquatic…
Pinnacle/BommieWollongong & Kiama
Hump One
Compact deep hump densely covered in gorgonians and sponges, circumnavigable in one short dive.
WallWollongong & Kiama
Hump Wall
Sheer deep wall to 34 m with swarms of mado and carpets of tiny feather stars.
Shore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Kiama Gutter
One-way dive from the Blowhole Point pool, over a wall and through rock valleys, finishing in sheltered Kiama Harbour.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
Lous Reef – Bass Point Island North
Deep-to-shallow island dive finishing in fish-filled cracks, with winter Port Jackson sharks.
WallWollongong & Kiama
Martin Island
Winter fur seal encounters on a colourful sponge and gorgonian wall only 15 minutes from Port Kembla.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
Pig Island – North East
Kelp, sponge-covered outlier rocks and a pink-rock slope with rays and seasonal tropical visitors.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
Pig Island – South East
Dense sponge, gorgonian and lace-coral growth on a small wall with huge schools of pomfret, nannygai and sweep.
WallWollongong & Kiama
Rons Wall
Colourful gorgonian-lined wall with unusually friendly male eastern king wrasse and an easy flat reef top.
WreckWollongong & Kiama
SS Bombo
Upturned 46 m collier broken open by storms, with an exposed triple-expansion engine, boiler and a separated upright stern…
WallWollongong & Kiama
Slipper Reef
A bay-like amphitheatre around the mooring, wobbegong caves and a colourful vertical reef edge.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
The Arch (Bass Point)
Swim-through arch on a seaward ridge plus a two-chamber cave guarded by a large bull ray; winter Port Jackson shark aggregations.
Shore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
The Gutter (Bass Point)
Sheltered gutter and canyon system with sea dragons and sponge gullies – diveable even in a southerly gale.
ReefWollongong & Kiama
The Gutter Sponge Gardens
Deep shore-accessible sponge garden at 20–23 m with excellent macro life, sheltered from southerlies.
Cave/CavernWollongong & Kiama
Toothbrush Island Cave
A gutter maze leading to a 10 m-deep sea cave that runs back under the island, with sea dragons in the kelp outside.
WallWollongong & Kiama
Toothpaste
Easy circuit along a colourful pink-rock wall with big bullseye schools and resting bull rays.
Freshwater Lake/RiverWollongong & Kiama
Blue Pool (Carrington Falls)
Novel tannin-stained highland creek pool dive in Budderoo National Park with an adjoining campground.
Shore/Rock PlatformWollongong & Kiama
Flagstaff Point
Zoanthid-covered walls, boulders and small caves right under the Wollongong lighthouse, with an easy bail-out into the harbour.
WreckWollongong & Kiama
SS Cities Service Boston
Boilers and engine remains of a 146 m US tanker wrecked in 1943, with a dramatic rescue story commemorated on the headland.