Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 9 Nov 2026
Latitude Rock
Forster & Seal Rocks, New South Wales · near Forster/Tuncurry
| Depth | 12–15 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Open Water |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride from charter boat onto a mooring/shot line |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 10-25 m |
| Water | summer 22-25 °C, winter 17-20 °C |
| Suit | 3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter |
| Best season | Year-round |
| Bottom time | 50 min |
| Position | -32.21200, 152.56500 (approximate) |
| Permit | Grey nurse shark habitat nearby — Code of Conduct applies |
| Nearest chamber | Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Latitude Rock
An easy, shallow reef with a strong Port Jackson shark and wobbegong population and a good chance of grey nurse sharks and loggerhead turtles.
Near Forster/Tuncurry · Forster & Seal Rocks, New South Wales
- Depth
- 12–15 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Water
- 22-25 °C
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
Latitude Rock12–15 m · Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
In season nowBest months: year-round.
Dive facts
- Depth
- 12–15 m
- Typical depth
- 13 m
- Certification
- Open Water
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Depth tier
- Open Water (10–18 m)
- Access
- Boat
- Offshore
- 2 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~15 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 22-25 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 17-20 °C
- Water
- Subtropical
- Bottom time
- 50 min
- Dive traffic
- Very popular (dived daily)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter
Location
Forster · NSW Mid North Coast — Forster/Tuncurry & Seal Rocks
-32.21200, 152.56500
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: mudgeediveandtravel.comMarine park & permits
Grey nurse shark habitat nearby — Code of Conduct applies
Nearest recompression chamber
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Latitude Rock →
A day-by-day plan for Forster & Seal Rocks 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
Latitude Rock is a reef boat dive in Forster & Seal Rocks, NSW, 12–15 m, suited to Open Water divers, about 15 minutes by boat.
Rated beginner: sheltered, shallow and manageable for a newly certified diver on a normal day.
Why dive here
- An easy, shallow reef with a strong Port Jackson shark and wobbegong population and a good chance of grey nurse sharks and loggerhead turtles.
- Visibility often reaches 10-25 m.
About Latitude Rock
Latitude Rock is Forster Dive Centre's default open-water-level site, a shallow reef sitting comfortably in the twelve-to-fifteen-metre range that gives newly certified and less experienced divers a genuine chance at grey nurse sharks without the depth and current demands of The Pinnacle. Its low-relief rock structure is straightforward to navigate, dropping onto sand at its margins, and while the site does not draw the same scale of shark aggregation as its deeper neighbour, sightings are common enough that Forster Dive Centre includes it as a standard part of the local rotation rather than a fallback. Alongside the grey nurse sharks, Port Jackson sharks are a near-guaranteed find tucked into the rock's ledges and crevices, and wobbegongs of both the ornate and spotted varieties lie motionless on the bottom in good numbers.
Loggerhead turtles are regularly encountered here, either resting on the sand or cruising over the reef, adding to a marine life list that makes Latitude Rock a satisfying, easy dive in its own right rather than merely a training ground before the more demanding sites further out. Because of its shallow depth, bottom times here can comfortably run to fifty minutes or more without pushing no-decompression limits, giving divers plenty of time to work the reef thoroughly. This combination of accessibility, shallow depth and a genuinely reasonable shark and turtle sighting record makes Latitude Rock one of the best introductory grey nurse shark dives on the whole NSW coast, and a natural first stop for visiting divers building toward the deeper Forster and Seal Rocks sites.
Getting there & entry
A shallow reef off Forster, one of the easier local grey nurse shark sites, with Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs and loggerhead turtles at 12-15 m.
Boats depart from Forster Dive Centre's base at Tuncurry (30 Manning Lane) or the Forster/Tuncurry boat ramp on Wallis Lake, running out through the lake entrance to the open sites. Forster-side sites (Latitude Rock, The Pinnacle, Bennetts Head Bommie) are 10-25 minutes away; Seal Rocks sites are a longer run of roughly 45-60 minutes further south, or reached by launching a boat directly from the Seal Rocks/Sugarloaf Point boat ramp for a much shorter trip.
Entry: Giant stride from charter boat onto a mooring/shot line
Weather, swell & tides
Forster and Seal Rocks sit on an open, exposed stretch of coast with limited shelter — trips are cancelled in significant easterly swell or strong wind, and operators generally want under 1.5-2 m swell to run safely, especially for the Seal Rocks sites given the longer, more exposed run. Visibility is typically best in autumn and winter (15-30 m) and can drop after East Coast Lows or heavy rain from the Wallis Lake/Myall Lakes catchments. Grey nurse sharks are present through most of the year with the largest aggregations typically reported over the cooler months.
Best season: Year-round
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Latitude Rock doesn't.
- Bennett's Head Bommie · 4 km · Max 10 m
- Wallis Lake estuary diving · 9 km · Max 8 m
How the dive is usually run
Descend the mooring onto the reef at 12-15 m and circle its low-relief structure slowly, checking ledges for Port Jackson sharks and wobbegongs and watching the sand margins for loggerhead turtles and grey nurse sharks, before an easy ascent given the shallow, forgiving depth.
Marine life
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.
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
Minimal — shallow, low-current site suitable for open-water-level divers; standard boat-diving precautions apply.
Dive centres that go here
Forster Dive Centre (Tuncurry) — daily boat trips to Forster and Seal Rocks sites, year-round.
Operators recorded for Latitude Rock
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Latitude Rock: frequently asked questions
How deep is Latitude Rock?
Latitude Rock reaches a maximum depth of 15 m, with the shallowest part at about 12 m; most of the dive is spent around 13 m.
What certification do I need to dive Latitude Rock?
Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated beginner: sheltered, shallow and manageable for a newly certified diver on a normal day.
Can I shore dive Latitude Rock?
No, it is reached by boat (about 15 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Latitude Rock?
Year-round.
What marine life will I see at Latitude Rock?
Regularly recorded: Grey nurse sharks, loggerhead turtles, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs (ornate and spotted).
What wetsuit do I need at Latitude Rock?
3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter.
How cold is the water at Latitude Rock?
Typically 22-25 °C in summer and 17-20 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Latitude Rock?
Minimal — shallow, low-current site suitable for open-water-level divers; standard boat-diving precautions apply. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Latitude Rock?
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Forster & Seal Rocks
Forster is one of the best places in the world to dive with grey nurse sharks. The Pinnacles, Latitude Rock and the Big Seal at Seal Rocks hold aggregations of 20–60 sharks in season, and Seal Rocks' gutters are within a few hundred metres of a beach launch. The SS Satara, a 1910 steamer in 44 m, and the Pinnacle's own wrecks add deep options.
Getting there: Three and a half hours north of Sydney. Forster charters run the Pinnacles and Latitude Rock; Seal Rocks is a beach launch or a longer boat trip. Shore dives at Forster's Bennetts Head and the Tuncurry breakwall.
All Forster & Seal Rocks dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
Data confidence: Medium · Being verified: GPS approximated from regional position.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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