Guided Shore Dives (Double Dive) - Sydney - Manly

Fairy Bower gets its name from the miniature fairy penguins that can be found here. This shore dive lies just off of the ocean-side pathway running between Manly Beach and Shelley Beach. It is located about halfway between the two and swimmers and divers can get down to the water via a metal staircase. This is a great site for night dives when there is not much traffic on the pathway.

When you get into the water swim north away from the beach. There are some large rocks that you can swim between and there is also a swim-through, though you may need a guide to find it. As you swim north you will get down to approximately 8 metres of water maximum. There is a prominent reef that you can follow that extends out fairly far. In the western side of a reef is a large section of a storm pipe which baby wobbegongs and other fish like to hide in. There is also a gully between the rocks to the west that divers can swim through.

This is a good dive for seeing sharks. In March the dusky whaler sharks flock to this location. Some of PRO DIVE's guides have reported seeing almost twenty at a single time. Port Jacksons also can be found here in the winter. Aside from the sharks there are also blue gropers, schools of surgeonfish, yellowtail, leatherjackets, seapike, fiddler rays, sting and numb rays, and giant cuttlefish.

Freshwater Sydney - Description comming soon

Enter from the shore along the right hand side of the beach (facing the sea). Keep the rock wall on your right as you head out and on your left as you head back - an easy dive site to navigate. As with any site, Shelly Beach is weather dependant - generally protected during easterly winds, which makes it diveable when a lot of other sites in the area are blown out. Viz can vary from 3 to 15M but is usually clearer during the winter months. On a good day, this is a spectacular site!

The best of the site is further out than most people get to and you do need reasonable air consumption to reach it. Swim out following the rock wall to your right, until it turns northwards and starts to peter out. Take a heading and keep going following the remnants of the rock wall on the sea floor and you should come to a kelp bed. Weedy seadragons are frequently found here and the depth should not exceed 12m.

Along the wall and amongst the big boulders, other marine life seen regularly is the divine eastern blue gropers (wrasse), schools of yellowtail and big eyes, mados and often pike. Red Morwongs, goatfish in the sandy area, flatheads and often ludericks and old wives. Under ledges shrimps galore and often juvenile lionfish. Port Jackson sharks and giant cuttlefish are common in season and wobbegongs sleep in crevices and under the big boulders.