Tweed Heads & Cook Island Byron Bay 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 South Wollongong to Kiama Jervis Bay Uladulla
Bateman's Bay Narooma-Montague Island Tathra Merimbula
Sydney North has a great deal to satisfy local scuba divers and stacks of interesting marine life to interest visiting scuba divers, snorkelers and underwater photographers.
Dozens of dive shops and charter boat operators offer trips to the many excellent offshore dive sites, reefs and deep-water shipwrecks along the northern aspects. While at Broken Bay and Pittwater and along the insides of the Northern headlands there are an amazing number of shore diving sites.
The rugged headlands on Sydneys northern coastline are subject to huge swells and on these ocasions diving inshore is impossible and very dangerous. Most dives in these areas are made from dive boats. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Sydney may be the largest city in Australia, and the pace of life rather hectic at times, but Sydneysiders know how to relax, and most do it on or near the water, sailing, surfing, swimming, fishing or diving. One of the major dive centres in the country, Sydney has a great deal to offer the visiting diver. Dozens of dive shops and charter boat operators offer trips to the many excellent shore dive sites, reefs and deep-water shipwrecks along Sydneys 100 km plus coastline.
Far more common than anybody ever realized in the early years, Weedy Sea Dragons Phyllopteryx taeniolatus inhabit deep water reefs and inshore bays along along the New South Wales coast and are well entrenched at least as far north as Pittwater. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Northern Beaches
The beaches from Palm Beach to Manly are visited by thousands of people every day, who come to swim, surf, snorkel and dive. While there are some interesting shore dive sites on the northern beaches, especially around the headlands, the area is most noted for its many excellent boat diving sites on ships wrecks and reefs.
Named for its yellow ridges, the Yellow - ridged Ceratosoma Ceratosoma flavicostatum grows to 80 mm and is a magnificent nudibranch. It may be found from Indonesia to New Caledonia and down the New South Wales coast to at least Bass Point. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Valiant Shipwreck
A popular boat dive site, the Valiant, is a 22 m long tug which sank in 1981, and now lies in 26 m of water, essentially in tact. You can inspect the engine room, peer into hatchways, and swim through the bridge area. At times the wreck swarms with schools of yellowtail and sweep, while bullseyes and larger pelagic fish cruise the open water outside. Blue gropers, cuttlefish, moray eels, wobbegongs, stingrays and a number of reef fish share the protection provided by the hull.
One of the first colour photographs I ever took ( my first fish... 1968) this Eastern Spiny Gurnard Lepidotrigla pleuracanthica was taken on a patch reef in 30 metres of water off the heads.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Palm Beach Reef
This pretty reef is located off the southern end of Palm Beach, at depths from 10-16 m. Sections of the reef are accessible from shore, but the best sites are reached by boat. Extensive areas of reef are covered with sponges and small gorgonians. Weedy sea dragons are common, as are the ever-present Port Jackson sharks, stingrays, rock lobster, fiddler rays, cuttlefish and moray eels.
Octopus are intelligent, skillfull hunters that make use of many extra - ordinary characteristics in their daily lives. Common Reef Octopus Octopus cyaneus is known throughout the Indo - Pacific and has been recorded extending its range into south east coastal waters. ( photo; Neville Coleman)
The Pinnacles
The Pinnacles are massive rocky outcrops which rise from 16 m, with interesting gutters and walls scattered with sponges and gorgonians. Residents include Port Jackson sharks, giant Australian cuttlefish, blue gropers, kingfish, pike, yellowtail, moray eels and lots of reef fish.
Half - banded Sea Perch Hypoplectrodes maccullochi grows to 20cm and inhabits offshore and inshore reefs from southern Queensland down to Tasmania. It is a bottom - dwelling 'wait and watch' ambush predator. ( Photo: Neville Coleman)
Duckenfield Shipwreck
The Duckenfield sank in 1889, after hitting Long Reef. The engines, boiler and other remains of this historic wreck have been recently discovered at a depth of 24 m, a haven for gropers, drummer, yellowtail, kingfish, morwong and wobbegongs.
A very common species of encrusting sponge, the Rosy Sponge Dendrilla rosea has grown over the skeleton of another sessile invertebrate and has taken on its general shape.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Long Reef Wall
A number of excellent dive sites are found along the Long Reef Wall. This boulder wall, which drops from 8-20 m, supports masses of sponges, sea tulips and gorgonians. Kingfish, yellowtail, bullseyes, pike, blue gropers, surgeonfish, sweep and trevally patrol the open waters nearby. Giant cuttlefish, stingrays, fiddler rays, Port Jackson sharks, weedy sea dragons, wobbegongs and grey nurse sharks are often seen in the area.
The largest cuttlefish in Australian waters, the Giant Cuttlefish Sepia apama grows up to 1 metre and is found on reefs and near jetties all around the southern coastline. It feeds on fish and has a very elaborate courting display. It has caused the accidental death of a diver in Perth.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
North Head
On any dive on this rocky reef, you are likely to see the remains of the several ships that have run aground on North Head. The reef is covered with invertebrates (especially sponges) and reef fish. Pelagic fish, wobbegongs, Port Jackson sharks, nudibranchs and giant Australian cuttlefish are common.
Covered in a commensal sponge, this Denuded Murex Shell Chicoreus denudatus is fully protected from predation by fish and from boring organisms. The species is quite common in Sydney Harbour and feeds mostly on bivalves.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
A delicate little nudibranch that shows litle variation in its basic colours, Daphnes Chromodoris Chromodoris daphne grows to 45 mm and feeds on the sponge Chelonaphysilla violacea. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
Tweed Heads & Cook Island Byron Bay 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 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 the coast of Northern Sydney.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
