Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 9 Nov 2026
Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)
Tasmania North & North-West, Tasmania · near Wynyard
| Depth | 5–18 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Shore or Boat |
| Entry | Shore entry from the foreshore or boat drop |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 10-25 m |
| Water | summer 16-19 °C, winter 11-13 °C |
| Suit | 7 mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots (or semi-dry); drysuit common, especially May-October |
| Best season | January-April, in southerly or light winds |
| Bottom time | 45 min |
| Position | -40.87200, 145.54500 (approximate) |
| Permit | Rocky Cape National Park (land) - Parks Pass required for vehicles. No marine reserve; normal Tasmanian fishing rules apply. No permit needed to dive. |
| Nearest chamber | Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) - the only chamber in Tasmania; Launceston has none. DAN emergency hotline 1800 088 200 |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)
Also known as Blue Rocks Point, Bluestone (Blue Rocks) Point
Long reefs across sand with big basket sponges and lace corals.
Near Wynyard · Tasmania North & North-West, Tasmania
- Depth
- 5–18 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water
- Access
- Shore or Boat
- Boat ride
- ~8 min
- Water
- 16-19 °C
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)5–18 m · Open Water · Shore
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: January, February, March, April.
Dive facts
- Depth
- 5–18 m
- Typical depth
- 10 m
- Certification
- Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth tier
- Open Water (10–18 m)
- Access
- Shore or Boat
- Offshore
- 0.2 km
- Dive centre needed
- Recommended
- Shore / independent
- Possible (experienced only)
- Boat ride
- ~8 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 16-19 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 11-13 °C
- Water
- Cold Temperate
- Bottom time
- 45 min
- Dive traffic
- Moderate (occasional charters/club dives)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
7 mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots (or semi-dry); drysuit common, especially May-October
Location
Rocky Cape National Park · Tasmania North-West Coast
-40.87200, 145.54500
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: marinelife.org.auMarine park & permits
Rocky Cape National Park (land) - Parks Pass required for vehicles. No marine reserve; normal Tasmanian fishing rules apply. No permit needed to dive.
Nearest recompression chamber
Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) - the only chamber in Tasmania; Launceston has none. DAN emergency hotline 1800 088 200
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape) →
A day-by-day plan for Tasmania North & North-West 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
Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape) is a reef shore dive for experienced divers in Tasmania North & North-West, TAS, 5–18 m, suited to Open Water divers, about 8 minutes by boat.
Rated intermediate because of boat traffic overhead, cold water.
Why dive here
- Long reefs across sand with big basket sponges and lace corals.
- Visibility often reaches 10-25 m.
Conditions to avoid
- Strong southerly or south-east swell and wind
- Afternoon north-easterlies
- Strong westerlies
- Any time other than slack water
About Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)
Bluestone (Blue Rocks) Point, east of Rocky Cape, is rated 6 out of 10 by the Marine Life Network guide as a typical shallow foreshore dive. The bare rocky foreshore drops quickly to an 8 m shelf, and the sandy bottom beyond is cut by long reefs running seaward, with an enticing reef in mid-bay between 10 and 18 m. Large basket sponges, sea fans, lace corals and isolated zoanthid patches grow on the reefs, with luderick, silverbelly, red mullet and barber perch among the fish. It is convenient to the ramp but only worthwhile in moderate weather. Local divers typically combine two or three Rocky Cape and Sisters Island sites in a day, choosing the side of the cape that suits the wind and the state of the tide.
The Rocky Cape and Sisters Island area is, in the Leven Scuba Club's words, the best collection of dive sites on the north-west coast. The quartzite of Rocky Cape - some of the oldest rock in Tasmania - forms gutters, ledges, caves and bommies, and the tidal flow along Bass Strait keeps sponges, gorgonians, sea pens and bryozoans well fed. Michael McFadyen, diving here in February 2008, recorded 18-19 °C water and 20-25 m visibility, figures that surprise divers used to the east coast.
Rocky Cape National Park also protects Aboriginal cave sites and coastal heath above the water, and a Parks Pass is required for vehicles. The nearest hyperbaric chamber is the Royal Hobart Hospital, about four hours' drive away, so conservative profiles and oxygen on the boat are essential.
Getting there & entry
A foreshore reef east of Rocky Cape where bare rock drops to an 8 m shelf and long reefs run seaward across sand, with a mid-bay reef in 10-18 m.
Rocky Cape National Park is off the Bass Highway between Wynyard and Stanley, about 30 minutes west of Wynyard and 1 hr 15 min west of Devonport (Spirit of Tasmania terminal). A Parks Pass is required. Boats launch at the Rocky Cape boat ramps (the western ramp at Mary Ann Bay suits boats up to about 5 m), Sisters Beach or Boat Harbour; ramps are shallow and weedy at low tide, so a 4WD tow vehicle helps.
Bluestone Point is east of Rocky Cape, convenient to the boat ramp; it can also be dived from the shore.
Entry: Shore entry from the foreshore or boat drop
Facilities: Rocky Cape National Park: day-use areas, toilets and picnic facilities at Mary Ann Bay/western end and near the lighthouse road; no shops. Sisters Beach and Boat Harbour have small general stores; Wynyard for all services. No confirmed air fills on the coast - Launceston is the reliable option.
Weather, swell & tides
The north-west coast faces Bass Strait: north-westerly to north-easterly winds and westerly swell make it rough, while southerly winds blow offshore and give flat seas - light airs and sunny days are relatively common from January to April. Easterly gales are common in the warmer months and close the eastern faces of Rocky Cape and Sisters Island. Tidal streams run along the coast (eastward on the flood), and several boat sites are only comfortable around slack water.
Heavy swell exposure; moderate weather essential. The bay east of Blue Rocks gives slight protection.
Best season: January-April, in southerly or light winds
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape) doesn't.
- SS Southern Cross (Boat Rock) · 1 km · Max 12 m
- Rocky Cape · 2 km · Max 10 m
- Pebbly Beach (Rocky Cape) · 5 km · Max 15 m
- The Boomer (Mary Ann Bay) · 5 km · Max 9 m
How the dive is usually run
Drop from the foreshore to the 8 m shelf, follow one of the long reefs seaward across the sand, and visit the mid-bay reef at 10-18 m. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.
Marine life
- Basket sponges
- sea fans
- lace bryozoans
- zoanthids
- luderick
- silverbelly
- red mullet
- barber perch
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Within the 18 m limit of an entry-level certification.
Courses that help here
- 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
Exposed to swell; boat traffic near the ramp.
Dive centres that go here
No confirmed commercial dive operator on the north-west coast as of 2026 (older guides mention dive services in Wynyard and Devonport - verify). Sites are dived mainly by the Leven Scuba Club (Ulverstone), other north-west club members and visiting divers with their own boats; Tasmanian Divers (Launceston) runs occasional northern trips.
Operators recorded for Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)
Tasmanian Divers North
ListedLaunceston · Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
A northern Tasmanian operation serving the Bass Strait coastline and local diving community.
tasdivers.com.au · (03) 6229 1020
Leven Scuba Club
Named by sitesDevonport · Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Club, not a shop: website live and the club is listed for the Tasmanian Combined Clubs Weekend 2026; meets first Thursday monthly at Mersey Yacht Club.
levenscubaclub.com.au
Other dive centres in Tasmania North & North-West
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape): frequently asked questions
How deep is Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape) reaches a maximum depth of 18 m, with the shallowest part at about 5 m; most of the dive is spent around 10 m.
What certification do I need to dive Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated intermediate because of boat traffic overhead, cold water.
Can I shore dive Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Experienced divers do dive Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape) from the shore, but the entry or conditions make it unsuitable for newer divers without local guidance. Entry: Shore entry from the foreshore or boat drop.
When is the best time to dive Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
January-April, in southerly or light winds.
What marine life will I see at Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Regularly recorded: Basket sponges, sea fans, lace bryozoans, zoanthids, luderick, silverbelly, red mullet, barber perch.
What wetsuit do I need at Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
7 mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots (or semi-dry); drysuit common, especially May-October.
How cold is the water at Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Typically 16-19 °C in summer and 11-13 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Exposed to swell; boat traffic near the ramp. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Bluestone Point (Rocky Cape)?
Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) - the only chamber in Tasmania; Launceston has none. DAN emergency hotline 1800 088 200. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Tasmania North & North-West
Bass Strait's Tasmanian shore from Devonport to Stanley and Rocky Cape is clear, cold and almost undived: sponge gardens, kelp and rock lobster around Wynyard, Boat Harbour and Sisters Beach, the Table Cape wall, and the Rocky Cape National Park reefs. Visibility of 20 m is common in settled weather.
Getting there: Fly into Devonport, Burnie or Launceston. Mostly shore dives with beach and rock entries; occasional club boat dives.
All Tasmania North & North-West dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: Coordinates approximate.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction










