Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 9 Nov 2026
Bunga Head
Bermagui & Tathra, New South Wales · near Tathra
| Depth | Depth not published |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride from boat |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 8–15 m m |
| Water | summer 18–21 °C °C, winter 13–15 °C °C |
| Suit | 7 mm wetsuit with hood most of the year (5 mm adequate Feb–Apr); semi-dry or drysuit and gloves Jul–Oct |
| Best season | Calm westerly days |
| Position | -36.69000, 149.98800 (approximate) |
| Permit | None required – south of Batemans Marine Park; Mimosa Rocks National Park onshore |
| Nearest chamber | Prince of Wales Hospital Hyperbaric Unit (Randwick, Sydney) |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Bunga Head
Also known as Bunga Head reef
Unexplored headland reef in Mimosa Rocks National Park north of Tathra.
Near Tathra · Bermagui & Tathra, New South Wales
- Depth
- Depth not published
- Minimum level
- Open Water
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Water
- 18–21 °C
- Visibility
- 8–15 m
Bunga HeadDepth not published · Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
In season nowBest months: year-round.
Dive facts
- Depth
- Depth not published
- Certification
- Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Access
- Boat
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 8–15 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 18–21 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 13–15 °C
- Water
- Temperate
- Dive traffic
- Rarely dived (private boat/club only)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
7 mm wetsuit with hood most of the year (5 mm adequate Feb–Apr); semi-dry or drysuit and gloves Jul–Oct
Location
Mimosa Rocks National Park · Bermagui – Tathra (Sapphire Coast North)
-36.69000, 149.98800
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: sapphirecoast.com.auMarine park & permits
None required – south of Batemans Marine Park; Mimosa Rocks National Park onshore
Nearest recompression chamber
Prince of Wales Hospital Hyperbaric Unit (Randwick, Sydney)
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Bunga Head →
A day-by-day plan for Bermagui & Tathra 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
Bunga Head is a reef boat dive in Bermagui & Tathra, NSW, suited to Open Water divers, about 15 minutes by boat.
Rated intermediate because of cold water.
Why dive here
- Unexplored headland reef in Mimosa Rocks National Park north of Tathra.
- Rarely dived: expect to have the site to yourself, and plan your own logistics.
Conditions to avoid
- Afternoon north-easterlies
- Outgoing tide or run-off after rain (poor visibility)
About Bunga Head
Bunga Head is a headland in the southern part of Mimosa Rocks National Park, a few kilometres north of Tathra.
Reefs off the Mimosa Rocks headlands are rocky, with kelp and crayweed in the shallows and boulders and ledges in deeper water. Nearby documented sites give a sense of what to expect: at Tathra Wharf, the reef is covered in sponges, sea squirts, soft corals and thousands of gorgonians, with schools of yellowtail, leatherjackets, blue groper, blackfish and wrasse. Similar growth may occur at Bunga Head's deeper reefs, together with red morwong, sweep, wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks.
The site is only accessible by boat for practical purposes and suits divers with their own vessel on a calm day. It is little visited, so it may reward exploration, but there is no information about the reef's layout or depth, and no operator support. The coastline here is dramatic, with volcanic rock formations like those at Mimosa Rocks further north, so the boat trip itself is scenic. Allow plenty of time for the return run to Tathra, as afternoon sea breezes can build quickly.
Getting there & entry
Headland in Mimosa Rocks National Park north of Tathra; offshore reef, with no published dive description.
Boat access from the Kianinny ramp at Tathra, running north about 5 km (10–15 minutes) past Tathra Head to the headland; or from Bermagui harbour further north. By road the headland is inside Mimosa Rocks National Park off the Tathra–Bermagui Road, with walking access only. No operator runs trips here.
Carry full safety gear, as there is no nearby help.
Entry: Giant stride from boat
Facilities: Kianinny boat ramp (Tathra).
Weather, swell & tides
The headland is exposed to swell from north-east through south. It needs calm seas with swell under about 1.5 m and light winds, ideally westerly. Visibility falls after heavy rain when the Bega River and nearby lagoons flush.
Afternoon north-easterly sea breezes in summer make the return run rough, so dive in the morning.
Best season: Calm westerly days
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Bunga Head doesn't.
- Merimbula Wharf · 24 km · Max 16 m
- Tathra Wharf · 4 km · Max 15 m
- Kianinny Bay · 5 km · Max 18 m
- Short Point (Merimbula) · 22 km · Max 12 m
How the dive is usually run
Treat as an exploratory dive: anchor on the reef off the headland, follow the reef on a compass heading and return to the anchor. Set a conservative turn pressure and carry an SMB in case you surface away from the boat.
Marine life
- Expected: sponges
- sea squirts
- gorgonians
- yellowtail
- leatherjackets
- blue groper →
- blackfish
- wrasse
- red morwong
- sweep
- wobbegongs →
- Port Jackson sharks →
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Courses that help here
- Drysuit Diver – Cold water; locals dive dry for much of the year.
- Underwater Navigation – Navigation is part of the dive plan.
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; no operator support; remote.
Dive centres that go here
No operator lists Bunga Head; private boats only.
Operators recorded for Bunga Head
Sapphire Coast Scuba
ProfiledEden · Merimbula · NSW
An Eden-based operation offering PADI Open Water training, guided dives for certified divers, equipment hire and air fills.
sapphirecoastscuba.com · 0488 519 316
Merimbula Divers Lodge
Reported closedMerimbula · Merimbula · NSW
An SSI dive centre with its own accommodation, classroom, shop, air and Nitrox and a purpose-built boat, running small classes on the far south coast.
Other dive centres in Bermagui & Tathra
Dive Eden
ProfiledEden · Merimbula · NSW
An Eden operator running boat, wreck, wharf and cave dives around Twofold Bay, with Try Scuba to Advanced courses and studio accommodation near Cocora Beach.
diveeden.com.au · 0410 026 990
Underwater Safaris Narooma
ProfiledNarooma · Narooma & Montague Island · NSW
A small-group Narooma operator running seal dives and snorkels at Montague Island (Barunguba) since 2014, with seasonal grey nurse shark dives.
underwatersafaris.com.au · 0415 805 479
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Bunga Head: frequently asked questions
What certification do I need to dive Bunga Head?
Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated intermediate because of cold water.
Can I shore dive Bunga 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 Bunga Head?
Calm westerly days.
What marine life will I see at Bunga Head?
Regularly recorded: Expected: sponges, sea squirts, gorgonians, yellowtail, leatherjackets, blue groper, blackfish, wrasse, red morwong, sweep, wobbegongs, Port Jackson sharks.
What wetsuit do I need at Bunga Head?
7 mm wetsuit with hood most of the year (5 mm adequate Feb–Apr); semi-dry or drysuit and gloves Jul–Oct.
How cold is the water at Bunga Head?
Typically 18–21 °C in summer and 13–15 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Bunga Head?
Exposed; no operator support; remote. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Bunga Head?
Prince of Wales Hospital Hyperbaric Unit (Randwick, Sydney). In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Bermagui & Tathra
Tathra Wharf is one of the best shore dives on the south coast, a historic timber wharf with sponges, cuttlefish and fish schools under the deck in 8–12 m, and Bermagui's Blue Pool and the reefs off Camel Rock add sheltered options.
Getting there: Five and a half hours south of Sydney. Both are walk-in shore dives; Tathra Wharf has a car park at the top of the hill.
All Bermagui & Tathra dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: Region corrected from Merimbula to Bermagui–Tathra; v1 depths removed; no dive source.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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