Scuba Diving, Jervis BayCredit: Jordan Robins
Scuba diver exploring a dive site in Jervis Bay.
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New South Wales boasts a diverse array of impressive scuba diving spots along its spectacular coastline. From diving with green turtles in the warm subtropical waters of Tweed Heads on the North Coast to exploring the dazzling coral reefs surrounding Lord Howe Island, you’ll discover underwater ecosystems unlike anywhere else in Australia.
Sydney
Shelly Beach, Manly
A beach dive perfect for beginners, Shelly Beach near Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches it is home to giant cuttlefish, wobbegongs and even seadragons, a relative of the seahorse.
Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail, Clovelly
In Clovelly on the eastern beaches, the Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail is a 600m diving trail marked by a chain connected to concrete-filled drums. On the way you’ll find information signs — as well as friendly gropers.
The Leap, Kurnell
For experienced divers, The Leap in Kamay Botany Bay National Park at Kurnell in Sydney’s south is a thrilling shore dive that includes a 22m drop-off. You’ll find boulders and overhangs, large schools of fish, lots of seahorses and some magic swim throughs.
Bare Island, La Perouse
Across Botany Bay, Bare Island is a popular shallow dive site for beginners; look out for seadragons, gropers and turtles.
North Coast
Looking Glass, Broughton Island
Broughton Island near Port Stephens has several spectacular dive sites. The popular Looking Glass is a narrow channel through the centre of the island that opens up into a natural fishbowl. Look for rays, blue groper, red morwong, bullseye and bream.
Fly Point-Halifax Park Aquatic Reserve, Nelson Bay
At Nelson Bay, also in the Port Stephens area, the main feature of the Fly Point-Halifax Park Aquatic Reserve is a 100m-long, sponge-covered ledge with schools of bream, nannygai and blue groper.
Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks
On the mid-North Coast, South West Rocks is home to a 125m-long cavern teeming with sea life, including placid grey nurse sharks, bull rays, nudibranchs, giant cuttlefish and more.
Solitary Islands Marine Park, Coffs Harbour
Just over an hour’s drive north of South West Rocks, the Solitary Islands Marine Park in Coffs Harbour is home to a unique mix of more than 550 species of fish, 90 corals and 600 molluscs.
Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli), Byron Bay
The marine park surrounding the rocky island off Byron Bay known as Julian Rocks (or Nguthungulli in the Bundjalung language) is regularly ranked among Australia’s top dive sites for its plethora of marine life, including grey nurse, wobbegong, and leopard sharks; eagle and manta rays, turtles, corals, and plenty of fish. During the winter months, whale song can often be heard underwater.
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve, Tweed Heads
Less than an hour north of Byron, you can also dive with turtles, manta rays, shovelnose sharks and more at Cook Island Aquatic Reserve in Tweed Heads, the state’s northernmost diving destination.
Weedy Seadragon, Kurnell Credit: Destination NSW
A scuba diver with a common seadragon (also known as the weedy seadragon) in coastal waters off Kurnell, south of Sydney.
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Weedy Seadragon, Kurnell Credit: Destination NSW
A scuba diver with a common seadragon (also known as the weedy seadragon) in coastal waters off Kurnell, south of Sydney.
Gordons Bay, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Waves washing over the rocks at Gordons Bay, nestled between the suburbs of Coogee and Clovelly in Sydney's east.
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Gordons Bay, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Waves washing over the rocks at Gordons Bay, nestled between the suburbs of Coogee and Clovelly in Sydney's east.
South Coast
Bushrangers Bay, Shellharbour
On New South Wales South Coast, Bushrangers Bay in Bass Point Reserve, at the southern end of Shellharbour, is an aquatic reserve great for beginner divers as well as snorkellers. Its temperate reefs are home to bright sponges, octopus, seadragons, and more.
Jervis Bay Marine Park
Further south, Jervis Bay’s marine park offers more than 20 shore and boat dive sites. The area has an abundance of kelp beds, large boulders, small caves, drop-offs, shear coral walls, sponge gardens, ship and plane wrecks, and swim throughs. You can also dive with fur seals between May and October.
Montague Island
In the Eurobodalla region, just off Narooma, Montague Island Nature Reserve is renowned for its Australian and New Zealand fur seal colonies. You may also see stingrays, bull rays, blue gropers and wobbegongs on a typical dive. Divers can expect water visibility of between 20–30m year-round, and it’s also a great place to see humpback whales making their migration north, then south again, during the winter months.
Lord Howe Island
Ball’s Pyramid
Less than a two-hour flight from Sydney, Lord Howe Island is one of Australia’s most superb diving locations. Arguably the most spectacular of its 100-odd dive sites is Ball’s Pyramid, a volcanic stack south of Lord Howe where advanced divers can go on drift and cave dives, and follow a coral wall. Expect to see massive schools of violet sweep, amberjack, kingfish, silver drummer, rainbow runners, trevally, and occasionally marlin, dolphins and wahoo.
The Lagoon
The huge, shallow lagoon on the western side of the island is great for novice divers, as well as snorkellers and underwater photographers keen to see anemones, lionfish, slipper crayfish, the rare Coleman’s pygmy seahorse, spotted snake eel, and beaked leatherjacket.
Montague Island, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Woman scuba diving with a seal at Montague Island, Narooma.
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Montague Island, Narooma Credit: Destination NSW
Woman scuba diving with a seal at Montague Island, Narooma.
Scuba Diving, Lord Howe Island Credit: Jordan Robins
Scuba diver exploring the coral gardens surrounding Lord Howe Island.
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Scuba Diving, Lord Howe Island Credit: Jordan Robins
Scuba diver exploring the coral gardens surrounding Lord Howe Island.
Blue Pool, BermaguiCredit: Destination NSW
The scenic Blue Pool on the Bermagui coastline.
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You’ll find spectacular ocean pools dotted along the southern coastline of New South Wales. These handmade pools, fed by the ocean’s waves, are often built into the rocks near beautiful sandy beaches, can be hidden away along the coastline and are enjoyed mostly by locals. Ocean pools are great for kids learning how to swim, lap swimming and for a dip on the days when the waves are a little too big for your liking. Here’s where to find an ocean pool on the coast south of Sydney.
In the Illawarra
You’ll find many spectacular ocean pools in the Illawarra area, from south of the Royal National Park all the way through to the popular seaside town of Kiama. These include lovely pools at Coledale, Bulli, Towradgi, Port Kembla and North Wollongong.
Take the road through the Royal National Park to Stanwell Park and onto Coalcliff Beach, where the ocean pool is set against a dramatic backdrop of the escarpment.
Nuns Pool, at Flagstaff Point in Wollongong, is one of the oldest in the state, dating back to the 1830s. (The title of oldest ocean pool goes to the Bogey Hole in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was built by convicts in 1819.) Located below the lighthouse, the Nuns Pool (formerly known as Chain Baths and used by the nuns of St Mary’s convent) sits in a small, sheltered cove and is accessed via a narrow path chiselled into the sandstone.
Further south at Kiama, the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool offers a safe swimming spot near the area’s famous blowhole, the largest in the world, on a headland near the town centre. This beautiful, hand-cut pool is an irregular shape and has a varied depth and rock bottom – it was also once a men-only bath. You can also take the 15-minute walk around Kiama Harbour from the blowhole to Black Beach Reserve. Here you can do 50-metre laps in the Olympic-size Continental Ocean Pool.
A 15-minute drive south of Kiama is the tiny coastal town of Gerringong. Head down to Gerringong’s Werri Beach for a swim at Ourie Ocean Pool, at the southern end of the beach. This rectangular pool, carved into a flat rock shelf, has a smooth concrete bottom and is perfect for a summer’s day dip.
Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
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Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
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Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
From the Illawarra to the Shoalhaven
Drive an hour further south into the Shoalhaven region and seek out Huskisson Sea Pool at Huskisson. This coastal town has a rich shipbuilding heritage, which you can explore at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum after your swim.
A 45-minute drive south of Huskisson brings you to Mollymook, where you’ll find the South Coast’s famous Bogey Hole, a natural rock pool on the headland south of the beach. There’s also a lovely ocean pool at Ulladulla, a five-minute drive further down the coast.
On the Sapphire Coast
One of the state’s most famous ocean pools is found at Bermagui, a little over five hours by car from Sydney, on the Sapphire Coast. Bermagui’s Blue Pool is revered as one of the prettiest, filled with azure-hued water fading to turquoise and green. At 50 metres long it makes for a great lap-swimming pool and there’s also a shallow wading pool, ideal for kids, just next to the pool.
One of the southernmost ocean pools on the NSW coastline is the Aslings Beach Rock Pool, a hidden gem carved into the pink-and-white cliffs at Aslings Beach in Eden, a six-hour drive from Sydney. It’s only a short walk from town, but its low profile makes it hard to spot from further down the beach. Make your way over the rocks from the beach and take a dip at low tide before the waves have a chance to deposit any seaweed.
Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
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Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.
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Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.