Weekend range
The Best Dive Sites Within Two Hours of Hobart
Sites within roughly 110 km straight-line distance of central Hobart, ordered by how regularly they are dived and how well they are documented.
Hobart's diving is the Derwent, Tinderbox, Bruny Island, the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and, 90 minutes away, the Tasman Peninsula's sea caves and walls. Cold, clear and quiet.
February to May for warmth; winter for the clearest water if you dive dry.
Updated daily from the directory. 30 sites listed.
1. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Tinderbox Marine Reserve
19 km from Hobart · Hobart's shore-dive reserve with an underwater snorkel trail, weedy seadragons and easy access.
2. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Waterfall Bay Wall
55 km from Hobart · The dolerite wall beneath 100 m cliffs, with kelp, sponge gardens and seals passing through.
3. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Cathedral Cave
55 km from Hobart · A huge sea cave system at Waterfall Bay, with chambers you can surface in and walls of colour outside.
4. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Blackmans Bay
14 km from Hobart · Two easy shore dives in one suburban bay – crevice-rich reef at the blowhole and a giant kelp patch at the south point.
5. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Deep Glen Bay North Wall
54 km from Hobart · Colourful sponge and sea-whip wall that is the fallback when the Sisters are blown out, with seals and seadragons.
6. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Sisters Rocks
56 km from Hobart · Vertical walls that bloom with sponges, sea whips and anemones below 30 m; regarded as one of Australia's best temperate wall dives.
7. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Fortescue Bay
59 km from Hobart · Easy shore access to one of the last giant kelp forests on the Tasman Peninsula, with camping on the beach.
8. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Kingston Beach (Handfish site)
11 km from Hobart · Easy suburban shore and night dive on the edge of the spotted handfish's Derwent range, with seahorses and sand critters.
9. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Sloping Island Kelp Forest
27 km from Hobart · One of the few giant kelp forests within reach of Hobart, with seahorses in easy depths.
10. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Eaglehawk Neck Jetty (Pirates Bay)
51 km from Hobart · Easy shore and night dive at the departure jetty with a good chance of weedy seadragons.
11. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Patersons Arch
55 km from Hobart · Big daylight swim-through arches lined with anemones – cave scenery without the commitment.
12. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Little Waterfall Bay
56 km from Hobart · Caves and swim-throughs on the Tasman Peninsula in clear water.
13. Huon & Far South · TAS
Ninepin Point Marine Reserve
46 km from Hobart · Tannin-darkened Huon water brings deep-water sea whips, sponges and bryozoans into 5-10 m – a rare 'pseudo-deep' reef in a no-take reserve.
14. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
William Pitt Wreck (Canoe Bay)
58 km from Hobart · Shallow scuttled 1904 dredge breaking the surface in a sheltered bay – a classic snorkel wreck.
15. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
SS Nord
64 km from Hobart · Intact 88 m steamer upright at 42 m, cloaked in colour and fish; rated among Australia's best wreck dives.
16. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Hippolyte Rocks
65 km from Hobart · Remote seal-colony islets with bull kelp shallows, sponge reefs from 30 m and huge fish schools.
17. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Sandy Bay & Battery Point (Handfish)
2 km from Hobart · A guided search for the critically endangered spotted handfish, a walking fish found almost nowhere else, in Hobart's own waterfront.
18. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Taroona Marine Reserve (Crayfish Point)
9 km from Hobart · Lobster-rich research-area reef 15 minutes from Hobart, with kelp beds and easy beach access.
19. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Iron Pot Reef
21 km from Hobart · Reef, swim-through and small caves beneath Australia's oldest operating lighthouse, 15 minutes from South Arm.
20. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Point Puer
52 km from Hobart · Sheltered kelp slope and small caves off the convict boys' prison, opposite the Isle of the Dead.
21. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Adventure Bay (Bruny Island)
54 km from Hobart · Historic bay (Cook, Bligh) with sheltered shore dives and boat access to Fluted Cape, Penguin Island and Cape Connella.
22. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Waterfall Cave
55 km from Hobart · A short daylight loop cave under the Waterfall Bay falls where sevengill sharks are sometimes found resting.
23. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Penguin Island (Adventure Bay)
56 km from Hobart · Steep reef and shallow sea caves under Fluted Cape, a short hop from the Adventure Bay ramp.
24. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
O'Hara Bluff Kelp Forest
57 km from Hobart · One of the remnant giant kelp areas on the Tasman Peninsula and a focus of kelp restoration; seals often play in the canopy.
25. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
The Thumbs
59 km from Hobart · Deep wall under striking rock formations with sea whips and sponge gardens from 25 m.
26. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Munro Bight
62 km from Hobart · Giant kelp and walls beneath Australia's tallest sea cliffs, with seals – often paired with the Nord.
27. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Ile des Phoques
85 km from Hobart · Rated among Tasmania's best dives: a colony of hundreds of playful fur seals and a well-lit cave through the island.
28. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
SS Lake Illawarra
2 km from Hobart · Tasmania's largest shipwreck lying beneath the Tasman Bridge span it brought down in 1975 – a dark, historically weighty expert dive.
29. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Otago Hulk (Otago Bay)
11 km from Hobart · Remains of the only ship Joseph Conrad ever commanded, visible in the shallows of the Derwent.
30. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
SS Lintrose
21 km from Hobart · Twin propellers and engine of a Scottish-built river steamer lying in 2-5 m beside the Iron Pot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dive site near Hobart?
The top of this list is the most regularly dived, well-documented site within weekend range of Hobart. Scroll for shore dives you can do without a charter.
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