The scuttled Rainbow Warrior under a coat of jewel anemones at 26 m
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediate
Region
Diving in Australia & New Zealand
24 curated dive destinations across Australia and New Zealand in Australia & New Zealand. Conditions peak around Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Bay of Islands · photo W. Bulach
- Destinations
- 24
- Countries
- 2
- Peak season
- Jan–Sep
Common encountersNudibranchsReef fish swarmsOctopus & cuttlefishMacro crittersStingrays
Destinations in this region
Weedy seadragons drift through cold-water kelp forests off the Tasman Peninsula.
12–18°C · vis 20mintermediate
Wobbegongs stacked on the ledges of a permit-only naval pier
21–29°C · vis 20mintermediate
Tannin-darkened water tricks deep-water black coral into growing at diveable depths.
8–16°C · vis 15madvanced
New Zealand's first marine reserve, and the snapper have stopped running
14–22°C · vis 20mbeginner
Dwarf minke whales approach divers on the Ribbon Reefs each June and July.
23–29°C · vis 30mintermediate
White quartz sand lifts the light over temperate sponge gardens
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediate
Tropical and temperate species overlap on one rock 2.5 km offshore
19–26°C · vis 30mbeginner
A thousand-metre canyon reaches to within metres of the shore
10–17°C · vis 20mintermediate
The highest reef manta density on the Great Barrier Reef, year-round
21–27°C · vis 30mbeginner
The world's southernmost coral reef, with advanced diving at Balls Pyramid offshore.
18–26°C · vis 30mintermediate
A thousand fur seals, and the juveniles come out to play with divers
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediate
Weedy seadragons over temperate sponge gardens, entered from a car park
15–24°C · vis 20mbeginner
Cage dive with great white sharks over a resident Australian sea lion colony.
14–21°C · vis 20mintermediate
Whale sharks gather along the reef edge every autumn after coral spawning.
21–29°C · vis 25mbeginner
Sheer Coral Sea walls with reef shark numbers rarely seen inshore.
24–29°C · vis 40madvanced
Massive fish schools swirl through archways at one of the world's largest sea caves.
15–23°C · vis 30mintermediate
Thousands of spider crabs mass under a Melbourne pier each winter
11–20°C · vis 20mintermediate
Leafy seadragons drift among century-old jetty pylons a short swim from shore.
12–20°C · vis 10mintermediate
Tidal channels through pristine atolls draw dense schools of sharks and pelagics.
24–29°C · vis 40madvanced
Australia & New Zealand
South West Rocks — Fish Rock
Australia
A 125 m ocean through-cave, and grey nurse sharks in the gutters
17–25°C · vis 30madvanced
A single century-old wreck packed with fish life on an otherwise bare seabed.
22–29°C · vis 20madvanced
Great whites in the Foveaux Strait, cage-dived under permit at 47° south
8–16°C · vis 20madvanced
Tame Maori wrasse inshore, and the outer barrier sixty kilometres out
22–28°C · vis 30mbeginner