State top ten
The Top 10 Dive Sites in New South Wales
Editorial picks from the New South Wales guide first, then the most regularly dived and best-documented sites in the state.
Temperate reefs, grey nurse sharks and Australia's densest cluster of city shore dives.
Our picks come first, in the order we would send a visiting diver to them, followed by the most regularly dived, best-documented sites in New South Wales to round out the ten. Every entry links to a full site page with depths, conditions, training required and the operators that run it.
Updated daily from the directory. 10 sites listed.
1. South West Rocks · NSW
Fish Rock Cave
A 125 m swim-through under an island with grey nurse sharks stacked in the gutters at each end. Australia's best-known ocean cave dive.
Our takeA 120 m tunnel through an island, entered at 24 m and exited in a gutter of grey nurse sharks at 12 m. The best single dive in New South Wales and one of the best in the country; Advanced with a guide, and dived on most calm days from South West Rocks.
2. Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
Magic Point
Grey nurse sharks 20 minutes from the Sydney CBD, resting in a shallow overhang at Maroubra.
Our takeSydney's grey nurse sharks, in a cave at 15 m off Maroubra, twenty minutes from the CBD by boat. Numbers peak in autumn and winter; the sharks are protected and the site has approach rules.
3. Tweed & Byron Bay · NSW
Julian Rocks – Cod Hole
Byron Bay's marine reserve pinnacle: turtles, leopard sharks and wobbegongs in numbers, with mantas in late summer.
Our takeThe signature swim-through of Byron Bay's marine reserve: wobbegongs stacked on the floor year-round, grey nurse sharks in winter, leopard sharks and mantas in summer. Ten minutes from the beach by inflatable.
4. Sydney Northern Beaches · NSW
Shelly Beach / Cabbage Tree Bay (Manly)
The classic Sydney shore dive. A no-take aquatic reserve with blue gropers, dusky whalers in summer and easy entry.
Our takeThe most dived site in the state, a no-take reserve at Manly where blue groper, wobbegongs, Port Jackson sharks and summer dusky whalers meet divers on a beach entry. Every Sydney diver's first dive.
5. Narooma & Montague Island · NSW
Montague Island Seal Colony
Snorkel or dive with several hundred fur seals off Narooma, then a wall dive on the same trip.
Our takeFur seals in 5 to 15 m off Narooma, from a colony of thousands that is largest in winter. Snorkellers and divers both; the seals decide how close.
6. Port Stephens · NSW
Fly Point
Nelson Bay's slack-water sponge garden, one of the richest shore dives in the country.
Our takePort Stephens' training and macro shore dive, a series of sponge-covered ledges on slack water with seahorses, pineapplefish and the biggest range of nudibranchs on the coast. A drift on the wrong tide.
7. Lord Howe Island · NSW
The Arch (Lord Howe)
Lord Howe's signature swim-through, with Galapagos whalers and endemic fish.
Our takeA coral arch in New South Wales, which exists nowhere else in the state, with sweetlips inside and Galapagos sharks around. Lord Howe is a two-hour flight and a different ocean.
8. Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
Bare Island
Botany Bay's most-dived site: red Indianfish, pygmy pipehorses and sea dragons on the western side.
Our takeThe Botany Bay shore dive where Sydney's macro photographers go: red Indianfish, pygmy pipehorses, seahorses and anglerfish on the sponge gardens, with an easy entry off the causeway.
9. Tweed & Byron Bay · NSW
Julian Rocks – The Nursery
The most colourful, fish-dense and sheltered quarter of Julian Rocks; the classic beginner, training and snorkel site where tropical and temperate species overlap.
10. Sydney Harbour · NSW
Chowder Bay / Clifton Gardens
Seahorses, anglerfish and decorator crabs on every pile and net – Sydney's definitive muck and night dive, with a car park that is free after 8 pm.
The guide
Diving New South Wales
The state's diving is defined by the East Australian Current, which pushes warm water and tropical species south along the coast from spring to autumn, and by winter westerlies that flatten the sea and clear the water. The result is a coast where Byron Bay has mantas in February and grey nurse sharks in July, Sydney has both temperate sponge gardens and summer visitors from the reef, and the far south coast has fur seals and 14 °C water.
Our ten cover the three things a visiting diver should not miss: the grey nurse shark sites (Fish Rock, Magic Point, Julian Rocks), the Sydney shore dives that make the city the best place in the world to live and dive (Shelly Beach, Bare Island), and the wildcards (the Adelaide, the Montague seals, Lord Howe).
When to come
Autumn (March to May) is the best all-round season: warm water still, winds easing, the sharks arriving. Winter (June to August) has the clearest water and the flattest seas on westerly days, at 16 to 18 °C in a 7 mm suit. Summer brings the tropical visitors but also nor'easters that blow out the shore dives by lunchtime; dive early. The state guide has the month-by-month detail and the region pages say what each coast needs.
Editorial last reviewed September 2026. The list itself is regenerated from the directory daily.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dive site in New South Wales?
Our first pick is at the top of the list, with the reasons. The state guide explains the seasons, water temperatures and training each site needs.
When is the best time to dive New South Wales?
June – September: Calmest seas on westerly winds, best visibility, coolest water (17–19 °C). Grey nurse sharks concentrate at the northern gutters. March – May: Warmest water of the year (22–24 °C), leopard sharks and mantas at Julian Rocks and the Solitaries, still-settled seas. December – February: Busy, warm, but afternoon nor'easters and summer swells; dive early and pick sheltered western sides.
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