Explore Newcastle

On the east coast of Australia lies the busy city of Newcastle. With a combination of tourists and local divers, this diving destination has a real mixture of sites.

There are a number of dive centres here offering courses from complete beginner right up to professional levels. There are no dive resorts or liveaboards.

Highlights of diving in Newcastle are varied. There are several wrecks to explore, multiple species of shark for fish lovers, and caves galore. Many of the dive sites are located in nearby Port Stephens or Nelsons Bay but the famous Moon Island is only a few minutes offshore.

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    Diving in Newcastle

    There are a number of wrecks in the waters around Newcastle, including the coal transporter Yarra Yarra and the Stockton Breakwall Wrecks, which is actually the remains of five ships, stacked akimbo and protructing from the water.

    Moon Island has some lovely topography - there are steep walls, large arches and caves to explore. There are a number of reefs, featuring corals, sponges and seaweeds which are flourishing in the cooler waters. There is a good mixture of beginner and advanced dive sites.

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    Dive Sites

    The best Months to dive in Newcastle

    Due to the temperate climate, diving in Newcastle is possible year round. The summer (November - March) temperatures in the water are around 24oC, with humid winds from the north - daytime temperatures sometimes exceed 40oC.

    The winters (May - September) are colder and drier, with average lows of about 8oC. The water temperature rarely drops below 10oC. Though cold, the visibility can be very good during winter - you’ll just need a thicker wetsuit.

    Top Wildlife Sightings in Newcastle

    Many larger shark and ray species are found in Newcastle such as grey nurse sharks, Port Jackson sharks, spotted rays, wobbegongs, kingfish, blind sharks and Australian salmon. There are lots of fish such as bannerfish, the rare eastern blue devilfish, friendly blue grouper (they are known to grow attached to divers and follow them around dive sites!) and lots of wrasse. Moray eels, cuttlefish and crustaceans hide among the reefs too. Moon Island is a known breeding ground for tiger sharks and these juvenile beasts can be seen occasionally.

    Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 300

    Octopus

    Octopus

    562 Sightings
    J
    114
    F
    75
    M
    64
    A
    64
    M
    36
    J
    18
    J
    23
    A
    16
    S
    26
    O
    28
    N
    36
    D
    62

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 200

    Moray Eel

    Moray Eel

    351 Sightings
    J
    57
    F
    38
    M
    25
    A
    41
    M
    17
    J
    18
    J
    24
    A
    8
    S
    22
    O
    20
    N
    29
    D
    52

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 600

    Wrasse

    Wrasse

    164 Sightings
    J
    26
    F
    12
    M
    18
    A
    27
    M
    13
    J
    1
    J
    11
    A
    0
    S
    15
    O
    12
    N
    15
    D
    14
    Green Turtle

    Green Turtle

    18 Sightings
    J
    0
    F
    0
    M
    0
    A
    0
    M
    0
    J
    3
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    1
    O
    0
    N
    1
    D
    13

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 130

    Pufferfish

    Pufferfish

    371 Sightings
    J
    67
    F
    34
    M
    40
    A
    40
    M
    28
    J
    20
    J
    20
    A
    8
    S
    18
    O
    26
    N
    18
    D
    52

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 80

    Stingrays

    Stingrays

    293 Sightings
    J
    35
    F
    23
    M
    8
    A
    31
    M
    5
    J
    12
    J
    33
    A
    13
    S
    16
    O
    35
    N
    40
    D
    42

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 3000

    Nudibranch

    Nudibranch

    175 Sightings
    J
    23
    F
    11
    M
    16
    A
    13
    M
    0
    J
    1
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    19
    O
    26
    N
    42
    D
    24

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 120

    Cuttlefish

    Cuttlefish

    138 Sightings
    J
    22
    F
    14
    M
    25
    A
    21
    M
    19
    J
    0
    J
    1
    A
    0
    S
    13
    O
    10
    N
    0
    D
    13

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 20

    Porcupinefish

    Porcupinefish

    119 Sightings
    J
    21
    F
    15
    M
    14
    A
    18
    M
    0
    J
    0
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    15
    D
    36
    Wobbegong

    Wobbegong

    86 Sightings
    J
    9
    F
    3
    M
    7
    A
    4
    M
    9
    J
    20
    J
    8
    A
    3
    S
    5
    O
    7
    N
    7
    D
    4

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 7000

    Crab

    Crab

    63 Sightings
    J
    29
    F
    0
    M
    0
    A
    0
    M
    0
    J
    0
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    14
    D
    20

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 2

    Nurse Shark

    Nurse Shark

    63 Sightings
    J
    2
    F
    0
    M
    2
    A
    0
    M
    0
    J
    16
    J
    21
    A
    15
    S
    7
    O
    0
    N
    0
    D
    0

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 40

    Triggerfish

    Triggerfish

    46 Sightings
    J
    10
    F
    0
    M
    3
    A
    12
    M
    0
    J
    2
    J
    0
    A
    2
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    0
    D
    17

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 8

    Bannerfish

    Bannerfish

    40 Sightings
    J
    10
    F
    0
    M
    2
    A
    12
    M
    13
    J
    1
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    2
    D
    0

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 25

    Boxfish

    Boxfish

    36 Sightings
    J
    0
    F
    12
    M
    13
    A
    11
    M
    0
    J
    0
    J
    0
    A
    0
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    0
    D
    0

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 90

    Angelfish

    Angelfish

    35 Sightings
    J
    0
    F
    1
    M
    13
    A
    12
    M
    0
    J
    6
    J
    0
    A
    2
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    1
    D
    0

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 130

    Butterfly Fish

    Butterfly Fish

    24 Sightings
    J
    0
    F
    2
    M
    1
    A
    17
    M
    0
    J
    3
    J
    0
    A
    1
    S
    0
    O
    0
    N
    0
    D
    0

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 250

    The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

    Total number of species approx.: 19

    Seal

    Seal

    15 Sightings
    J
    0
    F
    0
    M
    0
    A
    0
    M
    0
    J
    0
    J
    1
    A
    4
    S
    0
    O
    10
    N
    0
    D
    0