Your First Dives After Open Water in New South Wales: Where to Go, Who to Ring, What to Hire

The 5 easiest, most rewarding dive sites in New South Wales for a newly certified diver, plus what a first boat day is like, what to hire, when to go and the next course.

New South Wales is the easiest state in Australia to keep diving after your course, because the best beginner sites are shore dives in the middle of Sydney with car parks, cafés and other divers around every weekend. You do not need a boat, a club or a big budget for your first ten dives; you need a buddy, a morning with a westerly wind and a tide table.

Start with the sheltered reserves where the fish are tame and the depth never exceeds your certification, then add one boat day when you feel settled in your gear.

The 5 dives to do first

First dives in New South Wales, in the order we would do them
Site	Access	Depth	Why first
Shelly Beach, Manly	Shore	3–16 m	The most dived site in the state and the best first dive after a course: a no-take reserve with a sandy walk-in entry, blue groper that follow you, wobbegongs under the ledges and a café at the top of the beach.
Chowder Bay, Mosman	Shore	3–10 m	Harbour-side, flat and shallow with seahorses on the swimming-net pylons; the classic Sydney night dive and the place to practise buoyancy over sand without swell.
Bare Island, La Perouse	Shore	5–15 m	A step up: a causeway entry, a little surge, and the richest macro in Sydney. Dive the right-hand side first, on a westerly, and stay above 12 m.
Julian Rocks – The Nursery, Byron Bay	Boat	5–12 m	If you are up the coast: a ten-minute inflatable ride from the beach to the sheltered side of a marine reserve, with turtles, wobbegongs and clouds of fish in 12 m.
Fly Point, Nelson Bay	Shore	5–20 m	Port Stephens' training site: sponge ledges in a no-take reserve, entered from a rock platform. Dive it on slack water with a local briefing; the current runs hard on the wrong tide.

Open the site pages

What your first boat day is like

Your first boat dive will probably be a double dive out of Manly, Cronulla or Terrigal: two dives on reefs in 12–18 m with a surface interval on the boat. You will be asked your certification and number of dives, given a briefing on the descent line and the plan, and paired with a guide or a more experienced buddy if you ask. Take seasickness tablets the night before, eat breakfast, and tell the crew it is your first boat dive; every good crew looks after new divers.

What to hire and what to buy

Full kit hire (BCD, regulators, wetsuit, weights, tank) is $60–100 a day from any Sydney shop; most will fill your own tank for $10–15. Buy your own mask, fins and a 5 mm wetsuit first, then a computer; hire the rest until you know what you like. A 5 mm suit covers Sydney from November to May; you will want 7 mm or a hooded vest for winter.

When to go

Any month. Winter (June–September) has the flattest, clearest water on westerly mornings at 16–18 °C; summer is warmer but afternoons blow out, so dive early.

Habits that make the first twenty dives safe

Dive with someone who knows the site for your first visit anywhere; every state has clubs and shop-run social dives for exactly this. Check the swell and wind against the site page's conditions section the night before, and have a sheltered alternative. Stay within your certification depth (18 m) and above your comfort depth, which is usually shallower. Do a proper buddy check every time, carry a surface marker on any boat dive, and log everything: operators ask how many dives you have and when the last one was, and honest numbers get you better sites.

The next step

After ten to fifteen dives, the Advanced Open Water course opens the 30 m sites: the ex-HMAS Adelaide, Magic Point's grey nurse sharks, the Sydney wrecks.

Useful next

Frequently asked questions

Where should I do my first dive after certification in New South Wales?

Shelly Beach, Manly: The most dived site in the state and the best first dive after a course: a no-take reserve with a sandy walk-in entry, blue groper that follow you, wobbegongs under the ledges and a café at the top of the beach.

How deep can I go with Open Water?

Recreational agencies certify Open Water divers to 18 m. Every site in this guide has its maximum depth listed, and all are within that limit or have a shallow section that is.

Do I need my own gear?

When is the best time for a new diver?

Any month. Winter (June–September) has the flattest, clearest water on westerly mornings at 16–18 °C; summer is warmer but afternoons blow out, so dive early.

Last reviewed September 2026. Rules and seasons change; confirm current requirements with operators and authorities before travelling.

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