Tweed Heads & Cook Island Ballina Coff's Harbour
South West Rocks Port Macquarie Lord Howe Island Norfolk Island
North Haven Forster-Seal Rocks Port Stephens
Newcastle-Swansea Central Coast - Terrigal Sydney North
Sydney South Wollongong to Kiama Jervis Bay Uladulla
Bateman's Bay Narooma-Montague Island Tathra Merimbula
Byron Bay's coastline is washed by warm currents from the Great Barrier Reef, which bring an impressive assortment of tropical fish, corals and other marine invertebrates to its offshore reefs.
Julian Rocks, (can be seen from shore) is an area particularly rich in species diversity. It was listed as a marine reserve in 1982 and is excellent for scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography.
The coastline of New South Wales is interspaced with rocky headlands bordered by wide expanses of beautiful beaches similar to this one on the southern side of the Byron Bay headland. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Although most of the diving is centered around Julian Rocks the other reefs and dive sites in the area are equal in species diversity. The Yellow-ridged Ceratosoma Ceratosoma flavicostatum is a very distinctive species found across the Indo - Pacific.( photo: Neville Coleman)
This lively town offers an excellent range of accommodation, including backpacker hostels. The town is usually swarming with both tourists and divers, so book your accommodation and dive trips early.
During the Summer/Autum seasons the Byron Bay reefs are visited by many Leopard Sharks Stegasoma fastigum which come into the shallows to mate. Similar to other patterned sharks they could be photographed and recognised individually to determine if the same ones visit the same reefs each year?
( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
Two dive shops in Byron Bay run regular trips to the best sites in the area. Dive boats are launched from the beach, and Julian Rocks is one spot that can be enjoyed under most conditions.
Windara Banks
Hawksbill Turtles Eretmochelys imbricata are seen around Julian Rocks on a regular basis. This one is a female as it does not have an extended tail as seen on males. ( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
This shoal is located 20 km north of Byron Bay, about 12 km offshore. This superb reef, rising from 40-16 m, has only recently been discovered. There are plenty of walls and gutters covered with beautiful corals to explore in the area, but the most exciting feature is the fish life. On a typical dive, schools of kingfish, surgeonfish, trevally, barracuda and bullseyes surround visitors. Cobia, eagle rays and sandbar sharks are common. Grey nurse sharks, wobbegongs and turtles rest in the gutters, and a great variety of tropical fish shelters among the corals on the reef.
Cape Pinnacles
Difficult to get close to at most locations, Spotted Eagle Rays Aetobatis narinari are used to divers at Julian Rocks and brilliant images such as this are possible. ( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
Around these coral-covered pinnacles off Cape Byron, which drop from 25-40 m, are jewfish, grey nurse sharks, shovelnose rays, Queensland gropers, stingrays, kingfish and bronze whaler sharks.
Mackerel Boulders
At some times during Summer/Autum months the number of Spotted Wobbegongs Orectolobus maculatus around the reefs at Byron Bay have to be seen to be believed. ( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
Located at a depth of 20 m, this reef has numerous tropical fish and invertebrates. Turtles, wobbegongs, moray eels, cuttlefish, blue gropers and lionfish are some of the species found in the coral-lined gutters and caves. Pelagics cruise the open water off the reef, which is often covered in schools of bullseyes and yellowtail.
Kendricks Reef
Once included on the lists of target species for spearfishing competitions, the Eastern Blue Devil Paraplesiops bleekeri was slaughtered by the hundreds during the and 60's and 70's. Today it is a protected species and can be seen under ledges all along the eastern central and south eastern coast.
( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
Kendricks Reef is probably one of the most colourful reefs in the area. The best coral gardens are found at 24 m, packed with gorgonians, sea whips, soft corals, hard corals, ascidians, sponges and black coral trees. Pelagic fish are common, as well as tropical species such as fairy basslets, rock cod, anemonefish, lionfish, gobies, blennies, wrasse, butterflyfish and angelfish. These share their territories with starfish, feather stars, crabs, cuttlefish, octopi, nudibranchs, cowries and serpent stars (usually found wrapped around branches of the black coral trees).
Julian Rocks Marine Reserve
The Byron Bay Underwater Festival attracts numbers of keen divers and photographers each year to participate in the photography competitions, and Marine Life Identification and Photography workshops. Jorina van der Westhuizen is seen here during the 2007 Festival using her skill on a nudibranch.
( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
A dozen excellent dive sites are found around the Julian Rocks Marine Reserve. The Nursery, a popular spot with photographers, is a shallow area on the northern edge, swarming with tropical fish and invertebrates. Anemonefish, lionfish, nudibranchs, turtles, blind sharks, cowries, moral eels, soft corals, flatworms, sea stars and many other photographic subjects can be found at depths of 6-15 m. Although the area is known as The Nursery because of its countless small resident fish, divers are also likely to see schools of large pelagics.
Red Morwongs Cheilodactylus fuscus are present at most of the reefs off Byron Bay. They are particularly prevelant at Julian Rocks. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The Cod Hole is a lovely 10 m-long cave located at a depth of 21 m, lined with tubastrea coral, sponges, cowries, and soft corals. A host of permanent residents, which includes moray eels, lionfish, stingrays, cuttlefish, and gropers share the cave. Grey nurse sharks and large schools of red morwong, bullseyes and sweetlips are seen occasionally. The gutters around the Cod Hole are occupied by turtles, wobbegong sharks, jewfish, manta rays, eagle rays and leopard sharks (over summer).
Almost wiped out by targeted spearfishing and line fishing practices the Grey Nurse Shark Carcharhinus taurus is now a protected species. However, due to the small reproduction rate, the numbers have hardly increased since the 70's and they are now on an endangered species listing. At Julian Rocks and other reefs off Byron Bay they are quite used to divers and often allow close encounters. ( Copyright photo: John Natoli)
Hugo's Trench is a deep gutter that guts into Julian Rocks. The gutter is at a depth of 12 m, and is often filled with bream, blue gropers, sweetlips, bullseyes and surgeonfish. There are so many fish at times that larger residents such as turtles, stingrays and large wobbegong sharks pass unnoticed. In rough weather the gutter can be quite surgey, but is always fun to dive.
Due to its mimicry of the host gorgonian it lives on, the Rose Spindle Cowry Phenacovolva rosea is rarely noticed. The red dotted pink mantle is almost identical to the colour and pattern of the sea fan.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
The Needles offer walls and ledges in 15 m, lined with hard and soft corals and many invertebrate species. Turtles, wobbegongs, stingrays and sharks rest on the bottom, while schools of trevally and kingfish cruise above. The Needles is a good place to see angelfish, rock lobster and occasionally grey nurse sharks.
Endemic to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and the central coast reefs off eastern Australia the Wide - striped Anemonefish Amphiprion latezonatus lives with the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Sunset Wrasse Thalasomma lutescens generally occur over reefs and swim in groups which include a number of females with one one or two males moving amongst them. When they are being fed several groups often mingle together. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Many other gutters, caves and drop-offs are found around
Julian Rocks at depths up to 25 m.
Dozens of species of nudibranchs have being recorded at Julian Rocks and the surrounding areas around Byron Bay. The most species have been found during 2008/09 season. Tryon's Risbecia Risbecia tryoni is often seen in quite shallow water. it grows to 80 mm and feed on sponges. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
When the water is clear off Main Beach, the wreck of the Tassie II can easily be seen from the surface. This shipwreck lies in only 5 m of water. Wobbegong sharks, stingrays, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, sea stars, morwong, bream, moray eels, various tropical fish and other marine life live on and around the wreck. The remains of the Fawn and Wollongbar are found nearby.
Once only known for its surfing waves, Byron Bay and Julian Rocks have become a diver's mecca and since our early efforts (from 1976 onwards) have proved to support an astonishing diversity of marine life.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Tweed Heads & Cook Island Ballina Coff's Harbour
South West Rocks Port Macquarie Lord Howe Island Norfolk Island
North Haven Forster-Seal Rocks Port Stephens
Newcastle-Swansea Central Coast - Terrigal Sydney North
Sydney South Wollongong to Kiama Jervis Bay Uladulla
Bateman's Bay Narooma-Montague Island Tathra Merimbula
Neville Coleman's diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Coleman's expertise in living taxonomy and marine life identification extends to the identification of Algae, Sea Grass, Forams, Sponges, Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Sea Anemones, Sea Jellies, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Black Corals, Flatworms, Segmented Worms, Crustaceans, Barnacles, Shrimps, Rock Lobsters, Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters, Molluscs, Chitons, Univalves, Bivalves, Cephalopods, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Opisthobranchs, Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs, Bryozoans, Sea Mosses, Echinoderms, Sea Stars, Feather Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Ascidians/Sea Squirts, Marine Fish, Sharks, Marine Reptiles, and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters around Byron Bay and Julian Rocks.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
