Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 8 Nov 2026
Blue Moon (North Head)
Sydney Northern Beaches, New South Wales · near Manly
| Depth | 10–28 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Advanced Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride from the dive boat; DSMB ascent |
| Current | Moderate |
| Visibility | 8-15 m |
| Water | summer 21-24 °C, winter 15-18 °C |
| Suit | 5 mm full suit in summer; 7 mm semi-dry or drysuit May–October |
| Best season | Winter westerlies |
| Bottom time | 40 min |
| Position | -33.81904, 151.30236 (approximate) |
| Permit | None required |
| Nearest chamber | Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Blue Moon (North Head)
An outer North Head boulder-slope anchorage between Checkpoint Charlie and Runway, dropping to 28 m on the ocean face.
Near Manly · Sydney Northern Beaches, New South Wales
- Depth
- 10–28 m
- Minimum level
- Advanced Open Water
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Water
- 21-24 °C
- Visibility
- 8-15 m
Blue Moon (North Head)10–28 m · Advanced Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: June, July, August.
Dive facts
- Depth
- 10–28 m
- Typical depth
- 15 m
- Certification
- Advanced Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth tier
- Advanced Open Water (18–30 m)
- Access
- Boat
- Offshore
- 0.2 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Current
- Moderate
- Visibility
- 8-15 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 21-24 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 15-18 °C
- Water
- Temperate
- Bottom time
- 40 min
- Dive traffic
- Moderate (occasional charters/club dives)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
5 mm full suit in summer; 7 mm semi-dry or drysuit May–October
Location
North Head (outer) · Sydney – Northern Beaches
-33.81904, 151.30236
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: vizzbud.comMarine park & permits
None required
Nearest recompression chamber
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney)
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Blue Moon (North Head) →
A day-by-day plan for Sydney Northern Beaches with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
Blue Moon (North Head) is a reef boat dive in Sydney Northern Beaches, NSW, 10–28 m, suited to Advanced Open Water divers, moderate current, about 15 minutes by boat.
Rated intermediate because of depth beyond 18 m, surge on the entry or in the shallows, boat traffic overhead, cold water.
Why dive here
- An outer North Head boulder-slope anchorage between Checkpoint Charlie and Runway, dropping to 28 m on the ocean face.
About Blue Moon (North Head)
Blue Moon is a named anchorage on the outer face of North Head listed by Vizzbud without description beyond its position, depth range (12 m average, 28 m maximum), Open Water rating and its neighbours: Checkpoint Charlie 300 m away, Runway 700 m and Rock Fall 900 m. It sits on the same collapsed-cliff coastline as Bluefish Point, between the Bluefish grey nurse sites and the tip of the headland, and everything about the dive follows from that. The structure will be a slope of fallen sandstone blocks from the cliff foot to a sand line in the mid-20s, with short walls and overhangs where the blocks stack, kelp on the shallow rock and sponges, sea tulips and gorgonians on the shaded faces below 15 m.
The marine life of the whole outer North Head face is consistent: wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks in the boulders, eastern blue groper, giant cuttlefish in winter, weedy sea dragons in the kelp, bull rays on the sand, schools of yellowtail and pomfret over the reef, kingfish along the edge, and the occasional grey nurse shark from the Bluefish colony. Visibility is the ocean side's 8–15 m, more in clean current. It suits Open Water divers upward in settled weather, and confidence in every field here is low.
Getting there & entry
Boat-dive anchorage on the outer face of North Head between Checkpoint Charlie and Runway, 12 m average to 28 m maximum; boulder slope and reef edge of the Bluefish–North Head cliff line.
Boat only, 15 minutes from Manly Cove or Little Manly ramp on the ocean side of North Head, 300 m from Checkpoint Charlie and 700 m from Runway; part of the Manly operators' outer North Head rotation in settled weather. Dive Centre Manly loads at Manly Cove beach, Pro Dive Manly and Sydney Dive Charters at the Little Manly ramp (Stuart Street; parking and benches); private boats launch at Little Manly or Rose Bay. The skipper anchors on the boulder slope in 12–15 m or drops divers to drift along the cliff with the tide.
Entry: Giant stride from the dive boat; DSMB ascent
Weather, swell & tides
Exposed ocean face of North Head: only dived in settled seas under 1.5 m from the south or east, with morning departures before the north-easter; current along the cliff line; best water in winter. Charters fall back to the inner Heads when it is rough. Visibility is typically 8–15 m, more in clean East Australian Current water, and summer brings a thermocline at 15–20 m.
Best season: Winter westerlies
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Blue Moon (North Head) doesn't.
- Shelly Beach / Cabbage Tree Bay (Manly) · 2 km · Max 16 m
- Fairy Bower · 2 km · Max 10 m
- Manly Cove (Oceanworld nets) · 3 km · Max 6 m
- Camp Cove · 3 km · Max 8 m
How the dive is usually run
Descend to the reef top at 10–12 m, work down the boulder slope with the cliff on one side to the sand at 24–28 m, follow the sand edge for ten minutes, then return shallower through the boulders and overhangs to a safety stop against the reef; DSMB ascent.
Marine life
- Wobbegongs →
- Port Jackson sharks →
- eastern blue groper →
- giant cuttlefish →
- weedy sea dragons →
- bull rays
- yellowtail
- pomfret
- kingfish
- grey nurse sharks (occasional) →
- sponges and gorgonians (inferred from adjoining sites)
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Beyond 18 m an Advanced certification (which includes a deep dive to 30 m) is the accepted minimum. Anything past 25 m is a deep dive in practice.
Open Water divers can dive the shallower section (typical depth 15 m); the full site to 28 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water. At more than 25 m this counts as a deep dive: watch no-decompression limits and gas.
Operators' own listing: Open Water.
Courses that help here
- Enriched Air Nitrox – Longer no-decompression time at 25 m and deeper.
- Drysuit Diver – Cold water; locals dive dry for much of the year.
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Depth to 28 m; ocean swell surge; current; boat traffic; unpublished site – rely on the charter briefing.
Dive centres that go here
Dive Centre Manly, Pro Dive Manly and Sydney Dive Charters cover this face on outer North Head boat dives; not separately scheduled or described by any operator.
Operators recorded for Blue Moon (North Head)
Dive Centre Manly
ProfiledManly · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
A Northern Beaches operation with a long-standing presence at Shelly Beach, offering recreational training, boat diving and technical pathways.
divesydney.com.au · (02) 9977 4355
Pro Dive Brookvale
ProfiledBrookvale · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
Pro Dive's Northern Beaches centre at Brookvale, running the 43-foot dive boat Sea Life V alongside courses, hire, air fills and servicing.
prodive.com.au · (02) 9977 5966
Sydney Dive Charters
Named by sitesRose Bay · Sydney Northern Beaches · NSW
Charter boat; departs Rose Bay, Little Manly, Careel Bay and Cronulla wharves.
sydneydivecharters.com.au · 0417 417 295
Other dive centres in Sydney Northern Beaches
Abyss Scuba Diving
ProfiledRamsgate · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
A Sydney operation associated with training across recreational and technical levels, boat diving and equipment services.
abyss.com.au · +61 2 9583 9662
Frog Dive Sydney
ProfiledGladesville · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
A Willoughby PADI 5 Star IDC founded in 1985, teaching recreational through Trimix and rebreather courses with PADI, SDI and TDI, and testing cylinders in-store.
frogdive.com.au · (02) 9958 5699
Pro Dive Sydney
ProfiledSt Peters · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
Pro Dive's inner-Sydney training centre at Alexandria, close to Camp Cove, Clovelly, Gordons Bay and Bare Island, with courses to Divemaster, hire and servicing.
prodive.com.au · (02) 9665 6333
Dive Centre Bondi
ProfiledBondi · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
An Eastern Suburbs PADI 5 Star IDC on Bondi Road teaching through Instructor and technical levels, with air, Nitrox and Trimix fills and manufacturer-approved servicing.
divebondi.com.au · +61 2 9369 3855
Central Coast Divers
ProfiledKillarney Vale · Central Coast · NSW
An SSI Instructor Training Facility at Killarney Vale with two full-time Instructor Trainers, onsite servicing for all major brands, and freediving courses.
centralcoastdivers.com.au · +61 2 4389 3483
ADRENO Sydney
ProfiledAlexandria · Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
The Sydney branch of Adreno, an 850-square-metre spearfishing, freediving and scuba store in Alexandria that also runs SSI scuba courses.
adreno.com.au · (02) 9669 6214
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Blue Moon (North Head): frequently asked questions
How deep is Blue Moon (North Head)?
Blue Moon (North Head) reaches a maximum depth of 28 m, with the shallowest part at about 10 m; most of the dive is spent around 15 m.
What certification do I need to dive Blue Moon (North Head)?
Advanced Open Water is the recommended minimum. Open Water divers can dive the shallower section (typical depth 15 m); the full site to 28 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water. At more than 25 m this counts as a deep dive: watch no-decompression limits and gas. Rated intermediate because of depth beyond 18 m, surge on the entry or in the shallows, boat traffic overhead, cold water.
Can I shore dive Blue Moon (North Head)?
No, it is reached by boat (about 15 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Blue Moon (North Head)?
Winter westerlies.
What marine life will I see at Blue Moon (North Head)?
Regularly recorded: Wobbegongs, Port Jackson sharks, eastern blue groper, giant cuttlefish, weedy sea dragons, bull rays, yellowtail, pomfret, kingfish, grey nurse sharks (occasional), sponges and gorgonians (inferred from adjoining sites).
What wetsuit do I need at Blue Moon (North Head)?
5 mm full suit in summer; 7 mm semi-dry or drysuit May–October.
How cold is the water at Blue Moon (North Head)?
Typically 21-24 °C in summer and 15-18 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Blue Moon (North Head)?
Depth to 28 m; ocean swell surge; current; boat traffic; unpublished site – rely on the charter briefing. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Blue Moon (North Head)?
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney). In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Sydney Northern Beaches
From Manly to Palm Beach the Northern Beaches are a string of headlands with reefs on their protected sides and open-ocean sites offshore. Shelly Beach at Manly is the classic Sydney shore dive, an aquatic reserve with blue gropers and dusky whalers in summer; Long Reef and the Apartments off Dee Why are boat dives with grey nurse sharks and a resident wobbegong population. The wreck of the Valiant off Palm Beach and the SS Tuggerah off Long Reef suit deeper divers.
Getting there: Shore sites at Manly, Fairlight, Freshwater, Long Reef and Palm Beach have parking and easy entries. Boats leave from Manly, Roseville and Pittwater.
All Sydney Northern Beaches dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: Only position and depth published; all description inferred from adjoining North Head sites.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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