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.

Courses and Events

Stress & Rescue

The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You will learn how to identify stress, how to prevent accidents and be taught practical techniques to conduct rescues and provide emergency care. With a combination of pool and open water practice sessions, you will become well prepared and confident at handling emergency and rescue situations. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.

14 February +3 More
EUR 294.25
AUD 495.00

Advanced Open Water Diver

If you cannot decide which specialty programs are the best choice for you, join the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program! You will try Deep Diving and Navigation plus a variety of 3 more specialty areas of choice before committing to full specialty training. It is a great way to experience what advanced diver training is all about and how valuable it can be to your diving adventures. During the Advanced Open Water Diver Program, you will experience 5 different specialties by completing one open water training dive per specialty after a comprehensive briefing with your SSI Instructor. By taking this program you will have total freedom to explore. You can complete the full Specialty trainings any time in the future and credit your Advanced Open Water Diver training towards them.

21 February +1 More
EUR 294.25
AUD 495.00

Divemaster

The Divemaster program is the first step on an exciting journey. Earn the respect of your dive buddies and become an ambassador for diving by taking the Divemaster program. All you need to get started are 40 verified/logged dives and certifications in Deep Diving, Navigation, Night & Limited Visibility or at least 5 logged/verified dives experience in each area plus Diver Stress & Rescue. You will be certified as a Dive Guide after successfully completing the Divemaster program. When your interest is to turn your passion into a profession by guiding certified divers, teaching Ecology programs, assisting instructors or even becoming an instructor yourself, your next step is the Divemaster Upgrade with a minimum of 60 logged/verified. Upgrade to Divemaster right away or any time after by self-studying the Science of Diving materials, passing the Digital Final Exam which makes you an SSI Professional.

22 February +1 More
EUR 829.25
AUD 1,395.00

Open Water Instructor (Instructor Training Course ITC)

To join the SSI Instructor Training Course (ITC), you must be a certified Divemaster or hold an equivalent qualification. This comprehensive program is part of SSI’s 2-Step Instructor Training Approach. It begins with the Instructor Training Course combination, supported by immersive digital learning. After successfully completing the ITC, you will attend the Instructor Evaluation (IE) to become an SSI Open Water Instructor. As a certified instructor, you’ll be able to independently teach key SSI programs such as Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Diver Stress & Rescue, and Dive Guide. Need more time or want to gain hands-on experience before becoming a full instructor? You can take the Assistant Instructor portion as a standalone step. This allows you to assist with real student courses, build valuable teaching experience, and then complete the Instructor Evaluation at your own pace. The possibilities are endless – start your scuba diving instructor career now!

08 April +1 More
EUR 2,255.91
AUD 3,795.00

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: 300

Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl

Octopus
479 Sightings
J
114
F
60
M
49
A
32
M
18
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: 200

Alamy-WaterFrame

Moray Eel
309 Sightings
J
56
F
25
M
20
A
19
M
15
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: 600

iStock/ultramarinfoto

Wrasse
143 Sightings
J
26
F
10
M
15
A
14
M
11
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: 130

AdobeStock-JirinaVFR

Pufferfish
322 Sightings
J
67
F
26
M
30
A
17
M
22
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: 80

iStock/Extreme-Photographer

Stingrays
269 Sightings
J
35
F
19
M
8
A
16
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: 3000

SSI-Peter-Schinck

Nudibranch
148 Sightings
J
23
F
0
M
14
A
0
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: 120

SSI-Peter-Schinck

Cuttlefish
123 Sightings
J
22
F
12
M
21
A
19
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: 20

iStock-stephankerkhofs

Porcupinefish
83 Sightings
J
21
F
0
M
11
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
15
D
36
iStock-Nigel Marsh

Wobbegong
67 Sightings
J
9
F
1
M
6
A
1
M
6
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: 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 image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 2

AdobeStock-hakbak

Nurse Shark
60 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
1
A
0
M
0
J
14
J
21
A
15
S
7
O
0
N
0
D
0

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.

Dive Centers

Dive Swansea

shop 2/2 Belmont street, 2281 Swansea, NSW - AUS

Dive Sites

Dive Newcastle, 2281 SWANSEA

Swansea Bridge (★3.8)

There are a wide variety of ways to dive Swansea Bridge. Enter from the fishing pontoon, weigh station, boat ramp, concrete ledge, or Blackneds bay. Exit points are Blackneds Bay, the concrete ledge, or boat ramp. Explore the bridge structure or the artificial reef at 18m.
Dive Newcastle, 2281 SWANSEA

Flagstaff (★3.8)

Two entry options for the site - through bay or over rocks (easiest on high tide). Sandy bottom site. Shallow dive. Explore the rocks at the bay entrance or go for a swim outside the bay for more rocky structures.
Aqualung

Chris’ Wall (★3.8)

Chris’ Wall is a boat dive to explore along a beautiful wall. This dive can be catered to experience levels of divers - keeping less than 20m for open water divers, or going between 20-30m for advanced divers.
Aqualung

Lucy’s Wall (★3.4)

Shallow dive site that is good to training and to refresh skills. Can be classed as confined water. Beach entry and contained by breakwall in the channel.
Mares, Janez Kranjc

Moon Island (★3.7)

You can choose from arches to swim through, caves to explore, rocky shelves or just drift down the side of the rock where you can find soft and hard coral beds and loads of marine life!
Mares, Janez Kranjc

Blacksmiths Western Artificial Reef (★3.2)

Single steel pinnacle reef tower installed August 2019. 7.8m wide, 12m high. Watch as the ocean takes over the structure and all the sealife make it their new home.
Scubapro

Redhead Point (★4.2)

This site is a boat dive off the rock face of Redhead. There is a sandy bottom with many bommies and weedy patches to explore. Dive depth is under 20m, perfect for beginner and advanced divers.