Vertical reef, drop-offs and sponge-covered walls: Port Phillip Heads, the Tasman Peninsula, Osprey Reef, the Ribbon Reefs and the granite coasts of the south.
55 sites · the first 48 shown as cards, the rest listed by state below
Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Remote seal-colony islets with bull kelp shallows, sponge reefs from 30 m and huge fish schools.
Current-swept sponge pinnacle that sank the SS Tasman; one of Tasmania's most dramatic deep dives.
Sheer columnar walls under a 300 m cape at the edge of the Southern Ocean, with superb clarity.
Vertical walls that bloom with sponges, sea whips and anemones below 30 m; regarded as one of Australia's best…
Diving beneath the Candlestick and Totem Pole – columnar dolerite walls in clean oceanic water.
Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Rated 10/10 by the regional guide: granite caverns at 30-40 m lit by a flue-like opening, with clouds of butterfly…
Colourful sponge and sea-whip wall that is the fallback when the Sisters are blown out, with seals and seadragons.
A remote granite islet at the mouth of Wineglass Bay with a sheer drop to 40 m and clouds of butterfly perch.
An expedition dive on Maria Island's eastern tip: 15 m walls of yellow zoanthids and spires in exceptionally clear…
Giant kelp and walls beneath Australia's tallest sea cliffs, with seals – often paired with the Nord.
Remote island wall under the Tasman Island lighthouse with deep-water sponges, seals and clean Southern Ocean water.
A 30 m tunnel between two granite boulders at 25 m, packed with crayfish and lined with sea whips and zoanthids.
Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Remote volcanic islets with swim-throughs, seals and clean Southern Ocean water off Bruny's southern tip.
A long granite drop-off bristling with sea whips, often with the clearest water in the reserve.
Deep wall under striking rock formations with sea whips and sponge gardens from 25 m.
Deep reef with massive sponges and overhangs from Go Dive Tasmania's site list.
Twin spires with a 35 m swim-through, a cave maze and deep sponge and gorgonian gardens.
A 20 m-wide canyon with a 15 m sponge-covered wall, boulder swim-throughs and the local masked garden gnome.
A 100 m-plus strip of boulders covered in every colour of sponge - one of the most photogenic invertebrate gardens in…
Steep wall under Cape Surville with yellow anemone patches; a quieter alternative to the nearby Sisters.
A full-height granite wall with an undercut cave system and tunnels lined with delicate invertebrates.
A two-sided sponge and sea-whip reef that gives deep-site colour at more moderate depths.
Dolerite headland reef on North Bruny's Storm Bay coast, near The Neck.
Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
A channel-edge drop-off at the Tamar mouth with rich fish life and occasional big stingrays.
Rated among Tasmania's best dives: a colony of hundreds of playful fur seals and a well-lit cave through the island.
Quiet cliff-base reef near the Port Arthur entrance – a useful option when the east coast is blown out.
Stark granite steps with seals and strong clean water in the Schouten Island group.
Current-swept spire beyond Cape Hauy with clean water and schooling butterfly perch.
Boulder ridges and kelp under the famous columnar cliffs of Cape Raoul.
Historic bay (Cook, Bligh) with sheltered shore dives and boat access to Fluted Cape, Penguin Island and Cape Connella.
Remote island with sheer cliffs, sandy gullies and colourful sponges – one of the region's top-rated reef dives.
Deep cliffs under Mount Brown with delicate sponges and anemones, in one of the peninsula's wildest bays.
The deepest and most dramatic of the Wedge Bay sites – pinnacles and drop-offs off Outer Head.
Granite boulders at 20-25 m below Schouten Island's highest peak, with unusually large banded morwong.
Tasmania North-East · TAS
A sheer granite wall on the outer St Helens Rocks with healthy fish and invertebrate life.
Colour-drenched dolerite walls and canyons in the most sheltered bay on the peninsula; suits every level from new Open…
Quieter sister to Waterfall Bay with sponge-covered walls and a good chance of weedy seadragons in the kelp.
A moderate-depth wall with an overhang and a large cave, close to the ramp.
Big daylight swim-through arches lined with anemones – cave scenery without the commitment.
Australia's largest sea-cave system with named passages (Catacombs, Revelation Bend, Skull Cave, Devil's Tonsils);…
A quiet boulder reef under towering cliffs, with sponge-covered crevices.
Kent Group · TAS
Colourful granite walls a short tender ride from Deal Island's main anchorage.
Abrupt granite drop-offs to 20 m and colourful sponges in clean ocean water off St Helens Point.
A steep, zoned slope from crayweed to sponges with a long fish list, in Murray Pass.
An extensive offshore reef system with walls, pinnacles and sponge gardens, known mainly to local club divers.
A 20 m-long swim-through in a fossil-rich limestone terrace below Maria Island's famous Fossil Cliffs.
Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Reef, swim-through and small caves beneath Australia's oldest operating lighthouse, 15 minutes from South Arm.
Shallow granite mazes and swim-throughs with huge banded morwong and often excellent visibility.
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