Choose your dive
Minimum certification: Open Water diver. Other gear combinations, such as bringing your own mask, fins and wetsuit, are chosen when you book.-
Everything supplied
Guided double shore dive — full gear
Meet at the dive site at 8:00 am, about 4 hours
$189*
- 2 guided shore dives
- A full set of hire gear, brought to the dive site
- We take the gear back and clean it
- Up to 6 divers per guide
-
Bring your own gear
Guided double shore dive — tanks and weights
Meet at the dive site at 8:00 am, about 4 hours
$119*
- 2 guided shore dives
- Tanks and weights brought to the site
- Bring the rest of your own gear
- Up to 6 divers per guide
-
Grey nurse sharks
Bushrangers Bay double shore dive
Meet at the dive site at 8:45 am; briefing 9:00 am, both dives done by about 1:30 pm
$199*
- About 90 minutes’ drive south of Sydney
- A gathering site for grey nurse sharks, one of the few you can reach from the shore
- 2 guided dives, with tanks and weights included
- Full gear hire available when you book
- Free van transport from the dive centre, limited seats
* Prices are per person in Australian dollars (AUD) and can change by date. Your booking shows the price for the date you choose.
Dates & dive sites
Choose a date to see prices and spots left, then book.- Mon, 5 OctShelly Beach (Cabbage Tree Bay)From $79Check availability
- Mon, 5 OctBush Rangers BayFrom $199Check availability
- Fri, 9 OctGordons BayFrom $79Check availability
- Sat, 10 OctKurnellFrom $79Check availability
- Sun, 11 OctShelly Beach (Cabbage Tree Bay)From $79Check availability
- Sun, 11 OctBush Rangers BayFrom $199Check availability
- Mon, 12 OctGordons BayFrom $79Check availability
- Mon, 12 OctBush Rangers BayFrom $199Check availability
- Fri, 16 OctFreshwaterFrom $79Check availability
- Sat, 17 OctFreshwaterFrom $79Check availability
- Sun, 18 OctGordons BayFrom $79Check availability
- Sun, 18 OctBush Rangers BayFrom $199Check availability
Dive sites are a guide to where we plan to go and aren’t guaranteed. If conditions rule a site out, the skipper chooses the next best site. There’s no refund if we can’t reach the planned site. Prices are per person and can vary by date and option.
What you might see
- Weedy seadragonFound only in southern Australia, and one of Sydney’s signature dives.
- White’s seahorseAn endangered Sydney local that clings to sponges, soft corals and harbour nets.
- Sydney pygmy pipehorseA tiny, perfectly camouflaged relative of the seahorse, found only around Sydney.
- Grey nurse sharkFierce-looking, calm by nature, and critically endangered on the east coast.
- Port Jackson sharkA harmless bottom-dweller that returns to Sydney’s reefs every winter.
- Wobbegong sharkA carpet shark so well camouflaged that divers swim right past it.
- Dusky whalerYoung whaler sharks that gather in Cabbage Tree Bay.
- RaysFiddler rays, smooth stingrays and eagle rays on the sand around Sydney’s reefs.
- Eastern blue groperThe NSW state fish: big, curious and happy to follow divers around.
- Eastern blue devilA shy, brilliantly coloured fish that lives in caves and under ledges.
- Giant cuttlefishThe world’s largest cuttlefish, and a master of colour change.
- NudibranchsTiny, colourful sea slugs, and Sydney has hundreds of kinds.
What you might see
- Giant cuttlefishThe world’s largest cuttlefish lives on Sydney’s reefs.
- Blue groper, seahorses and wobbegong sharksSydney’s temperate reefs are topped up with tropical visitors carried south by the warm current from the north.
- Grey nurse sharksOn the Bushrangers Bay dive, which is a known gathering site for them.
- Dusky whalers and Port Jackson sharksAt Shelly Beach, in Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, along with blue groper and giant cuttlefish.
Shore dives in Sydney typically go no deeper than 16 metres, so they suit newly certified Open Water divers as well as experienced ones.
Where we dive
We pick the site on the day with the weather and conditions in mind. Make your own way there (every site except Bushrangers Bay is easy to reach by public transport) and meet us at 8:00 am; we bring any gear you’ve hired. Proof of certification is checked at the site. We email and text you the day before, at about 4 pm, to confirm the site.
- Gordons BayCalm and sheltered by an offshore reef, with an underwater nature trail marked by a chain. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- ClovellyIn the Eastern Suburbs.Map & directions
- Camp CoveInside the harbour, near Watsons Bay. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- MalabarIn Sydney’s south-east. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- Bare IslandAt La Perouse, on Botany Bay.About the siteGet directions
- Shark PointAt Clovelly. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- The Monument, KurnellOn the southern side of Botany Bay. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- The Steps, KurnellOn the southern side of Botany Bay. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- The Leap, KurnellOn the southern side of Botany Bay. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- Shelly Beach, ManlyA sheltered cove inside Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, and one of the easiest shore dives in Sydney to navigate. About the site. About the siteGet directions
- Fairy Bower, ManlyAlso in Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, off the path between Manly Beach and Shelly Beach. Big boulders, a long reef and a good chance of sharks. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- Clifton Gardens, MosmanA Sydney Harbour muck dive and a favourite with underwater photographers. About the site.About the siteGet directions
- Bushrangers BayFor the Bushrangers Bay dive only. About 90 minutes’ drive south of Sydney. Take our free van from the dive centre (limited seats: meet 6:30 am, leave 7:00 am, back about 3:30 pm) or meet us at the site at 8:45 am.About the siteGet directions
What’s included
- In-water dive guideUp to 6 divers per guide
- Dive briefingAt the site, before the first dive
- Gear hire, if you choose itBrought to the site, then taken back and cleaned by us
- Tanks and weightsIncluded on the Bushrangers Bay dive
- Van transport to Bushrangers BayFree from the dive centre, limited seats: meet 6:30 am, leave 7:00 am, back about 3:30 pm
Not included
- TransportMake your own way to the dive site: our Sydney shore sites are easy to reach by public transport. The exception is Bushrangers Bay, outside the Sydney basin, which has a free van from the dive centre because it’s harder to get to.
- Gear you haven’t hiredBring your own, or choose a gear option when you book.
Requirements
Certification
- Open Water diver or higher, from any internationally recognised training agency.
Recent diving
- The fewer dives you’ve logged, the more recently you need to have dived. See the table below.
- If you’re outside it, book a refresher dive first.
Recent diving experience
| Logged dives | You must have dived in the… |
|---|---|
| 4 | last 18 months |
| 6 | last 2 years |
| 10 | last 3 years |
| 16 | last 4 years |
| 20 | last 5 years |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to collect hire gear from the dive centre first?
No. Choose a gear option when you book and we bring it to the dive site, then take it back and clean it after your dives.
How deep are the dives?
Our Sydney shore dives typically go no deeper than 16 metres, so they suit newly certified Open Water divers.
Which site will we dive?
We choose with the conditions in mind and email and text you the day before, at about 4 pm, to confirm it. Regular sites include Gordons Bay, Clovelly, Camp Cove, Malabar and Kurnell. The Shelly Beach dives are at Shelly Beach in Manly.
Is transport included?
Not on the regular shore dives: make your own way to the site, and every one of them is easy to reach by public transport. Bushrangers Bay is further out, south of the Sydney basin, so that dive has a free van from the dive centre, with limited seats. Meet at 6:30 am for a 7:00 am departure; you’re back about 3:30 pm.
Is Shelly Beach good for new divers?
Yes. It’s an easy site inside an aquatic reserve, and a guided dive there is a relaxed way to brush up on gear set-up, hand signals, weighting and buoyancy.
How long does it take?
About four hours for the double dive. The Bushrangers Bay dive starts with a briefing at 9:00 am and both dives are done by about 1:30 pm.
Terms and conditions
- Guided double shore dive — full gearRead the terms and conditions
- Guided double shore dive — tanks and weightsRead the terms and conditions
- Bushrangers Bay double shore diveRead the terms and conditions
