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Sydney Dives

Sydney has dive sites that you can explore, rain or shine, through high swell or calm seas, winter through to summer, day and night, catering to all experience levels! This is why Sydney is different from every other major city on Earth. On this page you will find information about my favourite dive sites in Sydney.  All the sites listed below are shore dives and you can join Dive Centre Bondi to go to these sites.

#1 Dive Site: Shark Point 

Shark Point
The access to this dive site either involves a long swim, or a long hike followed by a brave jump off the rocks into the gutter (never attempt it alone without having been with an experienced person to show you exactly where to jump). The effort to get here is certainly worth it, with giant cuttlefish, sharks, nudibranchs, sponge gardens, rays, weedy seadragons and during the winter months the sound of whales singing underwater.



#2 Dive Site: Camp Cove

Camp Cove
This dive site is often considered "just a training site" to many divers, but oh it is so much more. I love this dive site. Not only is it a fantastically easy dive site that you can access in almost all conditions, but at night I think it is the most exciting dive site in Sydney. It is teeming with colourful life that puts this beautiful sandy beach dive at the top of my list. This is a muck dive, where diving over the sand gives you chances to see octopus, cuttlefish, seahorses, but also you at night many other crazy animals come out. Not to mention at night you can switch off the lights and play with all the bioluminescence! Camp Cove is not to be missed. 



#3 Dive Site: Kurnell

Kurnell
This dive site is set in a beautiful location, where you can easily bring the family and leave them when you get in the water! It is often fairly protected from the swell (unless the direction is coming from the north east), and has an abundance of life. The bommies are full of colourful sea squirts, soft corals and sponges. This is one of the best sites to go to see colourful nudibranchs but the main draw is the weedy seadragons and big bellied seahorses. Consider tide times here and aim to enter around slack tide to be safe.



#4 Dive Site: North Bondi

North Bondi
This dive is in a very busy area of Bondi and so parking can be tough, but it is the only place in Sydney that you can easily shore dive with Grey Nurse Sharks. The site if full of pink rocks and boulders and the topography is probably my favourite in Sydney. At times it feels like you are diving through underwater canyons and there are also a few caves which makes this a great dive site - more interesting than some of the typical sandy beaches with big schools of fish, blue gropers, eastern fiddler rays and wobbegong sharks.



#5 Dive Site: Clifton Gardens

Clifton Gardens
This is a fantastic muck dive site in Sydney, and is diveable in almost all conditions as it is quite protected. Under the pier can look like a horror show of discarded plastic and fishing line, but if you can see past that you will see so many incredible things. On the sand you can often between the piers you find anglerfish, nudibranchs, and  seahorses. It is also common to see octopus and cuttlefish too. On the piers and hiding in seahorse hotels you can find pufferfish and of course the wonderful blennies. We have even seen the rare Giant Snake Eel here. Dives under the piers are fun (don't expect to swim far - every inch is worth a look), and then dives around the seahorse hotels and the shark enclosure nets are also rewarding.



#6 Dive Site: Bare Island

Bare Island
Despite the normal poor visibility of 5m this dive site is fantastic for macro. There are huge sponge gardens teaming with nudibranchs. The rarely seen Red Indianfish is found here, and also the photogenic flying gurnards. At times you can also find various types of anglerfish here. The blue gropers here are super friendly and you can also see some of the bigger marine life like wobbegong sharks. The colourful bommies are the best of Sydney. I love this dive site and almost always find something new almost every time I go.



#7 Dive Site: Shiprock

Shiprock
Timing is key for this dive site - but it is simply incredible. You can only realistically plan 1 dive here in a day as the tide determines when you can dive. It is a wall dive that has a huge abundance of life on offer. It is a nice protected dive site and so can be a great option if there is a big swell in the area. Dr John Turnbull performed a really exciting study on this site to review the marine species that have been recorded at this site over the years and the results were fascinating.



#8 Dive Site: Shelly Beach

Shelly Beach
Set in a beautiful part of the city, Shelly Beach offers divers easy shore dives where there is an abundance of fish and sharks too (as long as you get there early enough to beat the crowds). There are resident Dusky Whaler sharks here, along with the usual suspects like the Port Jacksons and Wobbegongs. Being protected from the waves Shelly Beach can be a good alternative when the swell picks up. Giant cuttlefish, big schools of fish and even turtles are not uncommon here. Entering via the steps at Fairy Bower is also a great way to explore the dive site here.


#9 Dive Site: Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay
A great local site for us with easy shore access and an underwater trail to help divers navigate the site. If you want to have a crack at diving and performing tasks you should check out the Gordons Bay Diving Club that maintain the underwater trail - a great excuse for playing with lift bags! We enjoy this site for its typically good visibility and depth which make it great for practicing skills. The wildlife here is pretty good. We often see porcupine fish here, stingray, wobbegong sharks, estuary catfish, eastern fiddler rays, blue gropers, and schools of old wives. 


#10 Dive Site: Clovelly Pool

Clovelly Pool
You can enter the ocean from either the beach at Clovelly or from the ladders that surround the pool area to make this a relaxed dive site. The natural reef bar that separates the pool from the ocean helps to protect the area so that even during turbulent waters the pool can be diveable. A shallow dive, great at night too, where you can expect to see stingrays, wobbegong sharks, and the friendliest of eastern blue gropers. This site is only diveable between April and end of August due to council restrictions.



#11 Dive Site: Little Bay

This site is often sheltered from swell which makes this a great dive site to explore when others are unavailable. The site is sandy with occasional rocks and big boulders around the edges. Port jackson and wobbegong sharks are not uncommon, as are schools of fish and stingrays.


#12 Dive Site: Magic Point

This is one of the best dive sites in Sydney. The only reason I have placed it so low on the list is because it is really hard to do by shore. I have done it from the shore, but it is not easy and you have to be super fit to do it. Also be prepared to walk for an hour before you get in the water and be prepared for a long swim to get to the dive site. Much easier by boat! The topography is great with big boulders, huge overhangs and caves, usually occupied by grey nurse sharks, bull rays, port jackson sharks and big schools of fish. 



#13 Dive Site: South Bondi

One of my favourite dive sites in Sydney, although it is a site that you can only dive on near perfect conditions (which is really annoying!). The entrance and exit is very treacherous. But the site is super beautiful with big boulders, overhangs, caves and gullies. There are always lots of schools of fish and in the winter it is not uncommon to see 5-10 port jackson sharks all sleeping on top of each other. Sometimes a popular spot for grey nurse sharks too at the cave which is why this is my all-time favourite site. 

Picture

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  • Home
  • About
  • Research
    • My Research
    • Spot a Shark
    • Underwater Research
  • Media, Press, Features
  • Sydney Dives
    • Sydney Dive Sites >
      • Bare Island
      • Camp Cove
      • Clifton Gardens
      • Clovelly Pool
      • Gordon's Bay
      • Kurnell
      • North Bondi
      • Shark Point
      • Shelly Beach
      • Shiprock
    • Marine Life of Sydney >
      • Sharks of Sydney >
        • Grey Nurse shark
      • Rays of Sydney
      • Inkfish of Sydney
      • Sea slugs of Sydney
      • Fish of Sydney
      • Crabs of Sydney
    • Dive Calendar
    • Highlights of Sydney
  • Dive With Me
    • Dive Centre Bondi
    • URG Dive Club
  • Visuals
  • Contact