Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 7 Nov 2026
The Supermarket (King Island)
King Island, Tasmania · near Grassy
| Depth | 4–8 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat (day trip) |
| Entry | Back roll or giant stride from a small boat (live-boat drop and pick-up is the local norm) |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 10-20 m |
| Water | summer 16-18 °C, winter 12-13 °C |
| Suit | 7 mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots (or semi-dry); drysuit common, especially May-October |
| Best season | January-April; the east coast is diveable in westerly weather |
| Bottom time | 50 min |
| Position | -40.02000, 144.10000 (approximate) |
| Permit | No permit required |
| Nearest chamber | Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) via aeromedical retrieval; The Alfred (Melbourne) may be reached faster by air from King Island. DAN 1800 088 200 |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
The Supermarket (King Island)
Also known as The Supermarket
Rated among Tasmania's most beautiful dives: an eroded sandstone wall with pillars, ledges and thick gorgonians.
Near Grassy · King Island, Tasmania
- Depth
- 4–8 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water
- Access
- Boat (day trip)
- Boat ride
- ~20 min
- Water
- 16-18 °C
- Visibility
- 10-20 m
The Supermarket (King Island)4–8 m · Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: January, February, March, April.
January-April; the east coast is diveable in westerly weather
- Best months
- Now (November)
Dive facts
- Depth
- 4–8 m
- Typical depth
- 7 m
- Certification
- Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth tier
- Easy (0–10 m)
- Access
- Boat (day trip)
- Offshore
- 0.5 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~20 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 10-20 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 16-18 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 12-13 °C
- Water
- Cold Temperate
- Bottom time
- 50 min
- Dive traffic
- Remote/expedition only
- 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
King Island - Grassy & east coast · Bass Strait Islands - King Island
-40.02000, 144.10000
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: marinelife.org.auMarine park & permits
No permit required
Nearest recompression chamber
Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) via aeromedical retrieval; The Alfred (Melbourne) may be reached faster by air from King Island. DAN 1800 088 200
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around The Supermarket (King Island) →
A day-by-day plan for King Island 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
The Supermarket (King Island) is a reef boat dive in King Island, TAS, 4–8 m, suited to Open Water divers, about 20 minutes by boat.
Rated intermediate because of cold water.
Why dive here
- Rated among Tasmania's most beautiful dives: an eroded sandstone wall with pillars, ledges and thick gorgonians.
- Rarely dived: expect to have the site to yourself, and plan your own logistics.
- Visibility often reaches 10-20 m.
About The Supermarket (King Island)
The Supermarket is rated 8.5 out of 10 by the Marine Life Network guide, which calls it one of Tasmania's most beautiful dives. It is an extensive sandstone reef about 500 m offshore north of Blowhole Creek, with a central wall about 4 m high whose heavily eroded face has unusual rock pillars supporting ledges. Thick gorgonian fans and ledges packed with anemones cover it, and Bass Strait fish - long-snouted boarfish, magpie perch and wrasse - are common. The site was discovered by Neale of King Island Dive Charters; it was once full of crayfish, although numbers had declined heavily. The guide warns that careless finning destroys the delicate gorgonians.
King Island's reefs are best known to divers for their crayfish, which grow large in the cool, nutrient-rich Bass Strait water, and for sandstone and granite ledges covered in gorgonians, zoanthids and sponges. The Marine Life Network descriptions date from when King Island Dive Charters operated from Grassy; with no current operator, these sites are now visited only by divers who organise their own boat, and fishing pressure has reduced crayfish numbers since.
Recreational rock lobster and abalone fishing in Tasmanian waters needs a licence and is subject to seasons, size and bag limits. The east coast around Grassy is the reliable side of the island when westerly swell closes the west coast, and the island's lack of a chamber means aeromedical evacuation for any diving injury, so conservative dives are the rule.
This is a site for self-sufficient visiting divers with their own boat and a local contact; there is no one on the island currently guiding dives here, and the position given is an estimate from the published description.
Getting there & entry
An extensive sandstone reef about 500 m offshore north of Blowhole Creek with a 4 m-high central wall, eroded pillars and ledges packed with gorgonians and anemones.
King Island is reached by air from Melbourne (about 50 minutes), Burnie/Wynyard or Launceston; there is no passenger ferry, so divers fly in and hire a vehicle at the airport near Currie. Currie, the main town, is on the west coast; Grassy (with its harbour and boat ramp) is on the south-east coast about 30 minutes' drive away. Roads to the coast are a mix of sealed and gravel.
The Supermarket is 500 m offshore north of Blowhole Creek on the east coast. Launch at Grassy and run north, about 15-20 minutes.
Entry: Back roll or giant stride from a small boat (live-boat drop and pick-up is the local norm)
Facilities: Grassy: harbour, boat ramp, small shop/accommodation. Currie: supermarket, cafes, fuel, accommodation, King Island Historical Museum (lighthouse keeper's cottage), hospital (no chamber). Grassy: harbour and boat ramp. No confirmed public air-fill station - arrange locally.
Weather, swell & tides
King Island sits in the path of the Roaring Forties, and its west coast (Currie, Netherby, Cataraqui, Brahmin) takes the full force of the prevailing westerly and south-westerly swell; these sites are diveable only after long calm periods or in easterly weather, which is most common in late summer. The east coast around Grassy is sheltered in westerlies and becomes the fallback. Strong tidal streams run around the island's capes after gales.
The south-west-facing reef is protected from the full effects of swell but remote from shelter.
Best season: January-April; the east coast is diveable in westerly weather
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when The Supermarket (King Island) doesn't.
- Blowhole Reef (King Island) · 1 km · Max 6 m
- Sand Blow Gully (Grassy) · 4 km · Max 12 m
- Cataraqui · 18 km · Max 7 m
- Netherby · 22 km · Max 5 m
How the dive is usually run
Follow the 4 m wall along its length, finning carefully to protect the gorgonians, then explore the inshore rocks before returning. 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
- Gorgonian fans
- anemones
- sponges
- long-snouted boarfish
- magpie perch
- wrasse
- crayfish
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Shallow enough for snorkellers and for a first dive under supervision. Any certified diver can dive it.
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
Delicate gorgonians - perfect buoyancy needed; remote from shelter.
Dive centres that go here
No dive shop or charter currently listed on King Island (Underwater Australasia has no listings); the King Island Dive Charters/Dive Centre referred to in older guides no longer appears to trade. Visitors must bring their own gear and arrange cylinders and a boat locally (hire weights/tanks on the island where possible to reduce air freight). Verify any current operator before travelling.
All dive centres in Tasmania →
Operators mentioned: None on King Island (verify); nearest full services in Melbourne, Launceston or Burnie/Wynyard
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


The Supermarket (King Island): frequently asked questions
How deep is The Supermarket (King Island)?
The Supermarket (King Island) reaches a maximum depth of 8 m, with the shallowest part at about 4 m; most of the dive is spent around 7 m.
What certification do I need to dive The Supermarket (King Island)?
Open Water is the recommended minimum. Rated intermediate because of cold water.
Can I shore dive The Supermarket (King Island)?
No, it is reached by boat (about 20 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive The Supermarket (King Island)?
January-April; the east coast is diveable in westerly weather.
What marine life will I see at The Supermarket (King Island)?
Regularly recorded: Gorgonian fans, anemones, sponges, long-snouted boarfish, magpie perch, wrasse, crayfish.
What wetsuit do I need at The Supermarket (King Island)?
7 mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots (or semi-dry); drysuit common, especially May-October.
How cold is the water at The Supermarket (King Island)?
Typically 16-18 °C in summer and 12-13 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at The Supermarket (King Island)?
Delicate gorgonians - perfect buoyancy needed; remote from shelter. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to The Supermarket (King Island)?
Royal Hobart Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (Hobart) via aeromedical retrieval; The Alfred (Melbourne) may be reached faster by air from King Island. DAN 1800 088 200. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in King Island
King Island's reefs and its more than 60 recorded shipwrecks, including the Cataraqui (Australia's worst civilian maritime disaster) and the Loch Leven, sit in the path of the Roaring Forties, so diving is limited to calm easterly spells in summer. The reward is untouched kelp reef, crayfish and history.
Getting there: Fly from Melbourne or Launceston. No dive services on the island; private or club trips only.
Sources
Data confidence: Low · Being verified: Single older source; coordinates estimated.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction








