Dive with marine life · 2026 guide

Where to Dive with Wobbegongs in Australia

Q: How is this list ranked?

Sites are chosen from our dive-site database and ordered by how well documented they are: flagship status, the number of operators we have confirmed dive there, and the marine life recorded. Nobody pays to be listed.

Q: Can a business pay to appear here?

No. Listings and order come from our research only. Businesses can ask us to correct their details, but not to change their position.

Q: How current is this guide?

It is generated from the directory's latest research, checked in 2026. Conditions, operators and seasons change — confirm details with the operator before you book.

Carpet sharks so well camouflaged that most divers swim straight past them — and occasionally put a hand on one.

Resident year-round across temperate and subtropical Australia.

These 10 sites are where wobbegong encounters are best documented, with the operators who dive them.

Tasselled wobbegong resting camouflaged on a rocky reef

Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli)

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~15 m typical, 25 m maxBoat divereef · island

Where tropical and temperate waters meet — more than 20 shark and ray species recorded.

The ecological importance of the site comes from the meeting of tropical and temperate influences. Warm water arriving on the East Australian Current mixes with cooler temperate water, and species from both systems occur here together.

Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)

Who takes you there Sundive Byron Bay Byron Bay Dive Centre

Blue Bay Divers

Full Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli) guide →

Colourful nudibranch on a sponge garden with a diver behind

Bare Island

Sydney, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~12 m typical, 20 m maxShore divereef · muck

Sydney's most-dived shore site — weedy seadragons, extraordinary macro life and multiple routes.

The site offers several distinct routes at different depths, which is why it sustains that popularity — divers who have dived it a hundred times still find new things.

Look for: Eastern Blue Groper, Giant Australian Cuttlefish, Nudibranchs, Port Jackson Shark

Who takes you there Abyss Scuba Diving Pro Dive Sydney Sydney Dive Safari

Full Bare Island guide →

Grey nurse sharks cruising calmly beside a rocky reef

Fish Rock

South West Rocks, New South Wales

Advanced · 18–25 m~20 m typical, 30 m maxBoat divereef · cave

Grey nurse shark aggregation and one of Australia's few genuine ocean through-caves.

The cave has a deeper entrance around 24 metres and rises internally toward shallower water before reaching the opposite side. That makes it a genuine through-cave rather than a cavern, which is unusual in an ocean setting.

Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Wobbegong

Who takes you there

South West Rocks Dive Centre

Fish Rock Dive Centre

Full Fish Rock guide →

Scuba diver and green sea turtle above a tropical coral reef

Cook Island

Gold Coast, Queensland

Open Water · ≤18 m~14 m typical, 20 m maxBoat diveisland · reef

An aquatic reserve off Tweed Heads with a resident turtle population and seasonal grey nurse sharks.

The protected status has produced habituated marine life, and divers regularly encounter multiple turtles on a single dive.

Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)

Who takes you there Gold Coast Dive Centre Gold Coast Dive Adventures

Full Cook Island guide →

Green sea turtle swimming above a sunlit coral reef

Flat Rock

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland

Advanced · 18–25 m~20 m typical, 30 m maxBoat divereef

Southeast Queensland's premier big-animal site — grey nurse sharks, mantas and turtles.

A gutter on the rock's northern side is a recognised grey nurse shark aggregation area in the cooler months, while manta rays arrive through summer.

Look for: Green Turtle, Grey Nurse Shark, Humpback Whale, Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark)

Who takes you there

Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre

Full Flat Rock guide →

Exmouth Navy Pier

Ningaloo & Exmouth, Western Australia

Open Water · ≤18 m~10 m typical, 15 m maxShore divepier

A structure dive with extraordinary fish density, on Defence land with controlled access.

The structure supports an extraordinary density of fish — grey nurse sharks, wobbegongs, giant groupers and vast schools crowded into a comparatively small area.

Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Nudibranchs, Queensland Groper, Wobbegong

Who takes you there Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo Dive Ningaloo

Full Exmouth Navy Pier guide →

Two equipped scuba divers entering a calm Australian bay from shore

Gordons Bay

Sydney, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~10 m typical, 18 m maxShore divereef

An Eastern Suburbs shore dive with a long-established underwater nature trail.

The boulder terrain and kelp hold a solid range of temperate species, and the bay is sheltered enough for comfortable diving in most conditions.

Look for: Eastern Blue Groper, Nudibranchs, Port Jackson Shark, Wobbegong

Who takes you there Dive Centre Bondi Pro Dive Sydney

Full Gordons Bay guide →

Shelly Beach (Cabbage Tree Bay)

Sydney, New South Wales

Easy · <10 m~8 m typical, 14 m maxShore divereef

Sydney's most forgiving shore entry, inside a protected aquatic reserve at Manly.

Marine life can include blue gropers, rays, wobbegongs and other temperate species, and the protection means they are habituated and easily approached.

Look for: Eastern Blue Groper, Wobbegong

Who takes you there

Dive Centre Manly

Pro Dive Brookvale

Full Shelly Beach (Cabbage Tree Bay) guide →

Scuba diver touring the exterior of a coral-covered shipwreck

Tangalooma Wrecks

Brisbane & Moreton Bay, Queensland

Easy · <10 m~6 m typical, 10 m maxShore dive · Boat divewreck · reef

Fifteen deliberately scuttled vessels in shallow, sheltered water off Moreton Island.

The wrecks sit in only a few metres of water and have become a dense artificial reef, accessible to snorkellers as well as divers.

Look for: Green Turtle, Spotted Eagle Ray, Wobbegong

Who takes you there Tangalooma Island Resort

Full Tangalooma Wrecks guide →

South Solitary Island

Coffs Harbour & the Solitary Islands, New South Wales

Open Water · ≤18 m~18 m typical, 30 m maxBoat diveisland · reef

The most-dived of the Solitary Islands, with a grey nurse shark gutter and a lighthouse above.

Manta Arch and the Boulder Wall are among its best-known features, and a gutter on the island's flank holds grey nurse sharks through the cooler months.

Look for: Grey Nurse Shark, Wobbegong

Who takes you there

Jetty Dive Centre

Full South Solitary Island guide →

Questions about this list

How is this list ranked?

Sites are chosen from our dive-site database and ordered by how well documented they are: flagship status, the number of operators we have confirmed dive there, and the marine life recorded. Nobody pays to be listed.

Can a business pay to appear here?

No. Listings and order come from our research only. Businesses can ask us to correct their details, but not to change their position.

How current is this guide?

It is generated from the directory's latest research, checked in 2026. Conditions, operators and seasons change — confirm details with the operator before you book.

All best-of guides →

Questions about this list

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