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.
Dive Activity
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.
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
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
546 Sightings
J
114
F
75
M
64
A
64
M
23
J
15
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
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
352 Sightings
J
57
F
38
M
25
A
41
M
17
J
19
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
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
162 Sightings
J
26
F
12
M
18
A
27
M
12
J
0
J
11
A
0
S
15
O
12
N
15
D
14
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
366 Sightings
J
67
F
34
M
40
A
40
M
25
J
18
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
iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays
288 Sightings
J
35
F
23
M
8
A
31
M
4
J
8
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
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
174 Sightings
J
23
F
11
M
16
A
13
M
0
J
0
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
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Cuttlefish
131 Sightings
J
22
F
14
M
25
A
21
M
12
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
iStock-stephankerkhofs
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
iStock-Nigel Marsh
Wobbegong
74 Sightings
J
9
F
3
M
7
A
4
M
7
J
10
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
iStock-Michael Zeigler
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 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.
