Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 9 Nov 2026
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall
Forster & Seal Rocks, New South Wales · near Forster/Tuncurry
| Depth | 9–21 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Advanced Open Water |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride from charter boat onto a mooring |
| 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 | 45 min |
| Position | not published |
| Permit | None required |
| 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 |
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall
Also known as Spot A
A genuine wall dive near Cape Hawk with a kelp-fringed upper edge transitioning to a sponge garden at depth.
Near Forster/Tuncurry · Forster & Seal Rocks, New South Wales
- Depth
- 9–21 m
- Minimum level
- Advanced Open Water
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~18 min
- Water
- 22-25 °C
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall9–21 m · Advanced Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
In season nowBest months: year-round.
Dive facts
- Depth
- 9–21 m
- Typical depth
- 15 m
- Certification
- Advanced Open Water
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Depth tier
- Advanced Open Water (18–30 m)
- Access
- Boat
- Offshore
- 2.5 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~18 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 22-25 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 17-20 °C
- Water
- Subtropical
- Bottom time
- 45 min
- Dive traffic
- Moderate (occasional charters/club dives)
- Night dive
- Possible
- 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
No published coordinates. The map above shows the general area, estimated from other documented sites near Forster.
Primary source: mudgeediveandtravel.comMarine park & permits
None required
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 Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall →
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
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall is a wall boat dive in Forster & Seal Rocks, NSW, 9–21 m, suited to Advanced Open Water divers, about 18 minutes by boat.
Rated beginner: sheltered, shallow and manageable for a newly certified diver on a normal day, though note depth beyond 18 m.
Why dive here
- A genuine wall dive near Cape Hawk with a kelp-fringed upper edge transitioning to a sponge garden at depth.
- Visibility often reaches 10-25 m.
About Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall
Spot A, also referred to locally by its position near Cape Hawk, is a wall dive off Forster that runs from a kelp-fringed upper edge around nine metres down to twenty-one metres, giving divers a genuine vertical profile to work rather than the flatter reef and pinnacle terrain more typical of the area's other sites. The upper section, shallow enough for good light penetration, supports kelp growth alongside sponges, a habitat combination that is somewhat unusual this far north on the NSW coast and reflects Cape Hawk's exposure to the cooler water that occasionally pushes up from the south. Deeper down the wall transitions into a dedicated sponge garden section, where corals and an assortment of small invertebrates — the kind of critters that reward a slow, careful look — take over from the kelp as the dominant cover.
This layered structure makes Spot A a good site for divers who enjoy a genuine wall profile and the contrast between distinct depth zones within a single dive, and it complements Forster's shark- and turtle-focused pinnacles with a more classic reef-wall experience. The site's moderate depth range keeps it accessible to open-water-level divers while still offering enough vertical relief to feel like a proper wall dive rather than a gentle slope, and its position near Cape Hawk means it is somewhat more exposed than the sheltered Wallis Lake-side sites, so conditions should be checked before committing to it on a marginal-weather day. The change in habitat from kelp to sponge garden across a single dive also makes it a useful site for divers wanting to see how depth and exposure shape reef community structure on this coast.
Getting there & entry
A wall dive near Cape Hawk off Forster, ranging from 9-21 m, with kelp, sponges and a sponge-garden section hosting corals and small critters.
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
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
How the dive is usually run
Descend onto the wall near Cape Hawk at around 9 m and work down its face to 21 m, exploring the kelp-fringed upper section before dropping into the sponge garden lower down for corals and small invertebrates, then ascend back along the same face.
Marine life
- Kelp
- sponges
- hard and soft corals
- small invertebrates typical of a sponge garden habitat
- general reef fish
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 21 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water.
Operators' own listing: Open Water.
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
More exposed position near Cape Hawk — check conditions before diving; standard wall-diving buoyancy care.
Dive centres that go here
Forster Dive Centre (Tuncurry) — daily boat trips to Forster and Seal Rocks sites, year-round.
Operators recorded for Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall
General area
No position has been published for Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall. The circle shows where it is likely to be, worked out from other documented sites near Forster. Ask a local operator for the exact site.
Dashed circle: general area (about 15 km), from other documented sites near Forster. 6 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall: frequently asked questions
How deep is Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall reaches a maximum depth of 21 m, with the shallowest part at about 9 m; most of the dive is spent around 15 m.
What certification do I need to dive Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
Advanced Open Water is the recommended minimum. Open Water divers can dive the shallower section (typical depth 15 m); the full site to 21 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water. Rated beginner: sheltered, shallow and manageable for a newly certified diver on a normal day, though note depth beyond 18 m.
Can I shore dive Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
No, it is reached by boat (about 18 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
Year-round.
What marine life will I see at Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
Regularly recorded: Kelp, sponges, hard and soft corals, small invertebrates typical of a sponge garden habitat, general reef fish.
What wetsuit do I need at Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter.
How cold is the water at Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
Typically 22-25 °C in summer and 17-20 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
More exposed position near Cape Hawk — check conditions before diving; standard wall-diving buoyancy care. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Spot A / Cape Hawk Wall?
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: Not present in v1 input — added from operator source; GPS unavailable.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction











