Spring
Scuba Diving in Australia in September
Water starts warming, whales are still moving, and Lord Howe's season opens.
September is a transition month. Southern water begins warming, the humpback migration is returning south with calves, and Lord Howe Island's main dive season opens.
Temperate macro diving is at its most productive as spring brings nudibranch diversity and seadragon breeding activity.
The Great Barrier Reef remains in excellent dry-season condition, and it is one of the best months to dive Queensland without wet-season variables.
Lord Howe IslandMain dive season opens, with the most stable conditions beginning.
Newcastle, Nelson Bay & Port StephensSpring nudibranch diversity peaking at Fly Point.
CairnsReliable dry-season reef conditions with fewer crowds than mid-winter.
BichenoSponge gardens at their most colourful with good winter clarity holding.Ranked guide: the best dive sites in Australia in September →
Grey Nurse SharkAustralia's most recognisable dive shark — ragged teeth, entirely harmless, and critically endangered on the east coast.
Humpback WhaleHeard far more often than seen — the soundtrack to winter diving on both Australian coasts.
NudibranchsSea slugs of absurd colour and variety — the reason temperate Australian macro diving has a global reputation.
Spotted HandfishA critically endangered Tasmanian fish that walks on its fins and lives almost nowhere.
Weedy SeadragonThe leafy's more widespread cousin — the signature animal of Sydney and Victorian shore diving.
Humpback WhaleHeard far more often than seen — the soundtrack to winter diving on both Australian coasts.NudibranchsSea slugs of absurd colour and variety — the reason temperate Australian macro diving has a global reputation.Spotted HandfishA critically endangered Tasmanian fish that walks on its fins and lives almost nowhere.Weedy SeadragonThe leafy's more widespread cousin — the signature animal of Sydney and Victorian shore diving.Businesses documented at the sites where this month's peak species are found.
South West Rocks Dive CentreSouth West RocksA family-run South West Rocks operation that has run daily charters to Fish Rock since 1980, including the 125-metre cave traverse.BoatCoursesAdvancedNitroxHireStaySource-backed profile
Fish Rock Dive CentrePADIA South West Rocks operation running regular Fish Rock and Fish Rock Cave trips from a 12-metre purpose-built vessel, with Nitrox supplied and PADI training.BoatCoursesAdvancedNitroxHireSource-backed profile
Wolf Rock Dive CentrePADIA Rainbow Beach operation specialising in Wolf Rock, an advanced offshore pinnacle site known for grey nurse sharks.BoatCoursesAdvancedProNitroxHireSource-backed profile
Manta Lodge & Scuba CentrePoint LookoutSSINorth Stradbroke Island's only full-service scuba centre and an SSI Instructor Training Center, with two boats, on-site lodging, and technical and freediving training.BoatCoursesAdvancedProTechHireSource-backed profile
Blue Bay DiversBrunswick HeadsA Brunswick Heads charter running the 8.5-metre catamaran Bay Warrior to Julian Rocks and less-visited Byron sites such as Windarra Banks and the Cape Pinnacle.BoatSource-backed profile
Jetty Dive CentreCoffs HarbourPADICoffs Harbour's PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre, running the Solitary Islands dive fleet from the Jetty Strip with training, retail, Nitrox and whale swims.BoatCoursesAdvancedProNitroxHireSource-backed profile
Wooli Dive CentreWooliPADIThe closest operator to North Solitary Island and Pimpernel Rock, with its own 12-metre catamaran and riverside divers' accommodation in Wooli.BoatCoursesAdvancedHireStaySource-backed profile
Underwater Safaris NaroomaNaroomaPADIA small-group Narooma operator running seal dives and snorkels at Montague Island (Barunguba) since 2014, with seasonal grey nurse shark dives.BoatHireSource-backed profile
Diving AdelaideGlandorePADIAn Adelaide training and guided diving operation serving local sites and organised trips.BoatCoursesAdvancedNitroxHireSource-backed profileOther Marine Life to See in September
Australian & New Zealand Fur SealsFast, acrobatic and endlessly curious — the highlight of Montague Island, Jervis Bay and Port Phillip.Australian Sea LionEndangered, endemic, and among the most genuinely playful animals a diver can meet.Eastern Blue GroperNew South Wales' state fish — large, inquisitive and often the first thing to greet a Sydney shore diver.Giant Kelp ForestTasmania's underwater forests — dramatically diminished, and worth seeing while they remain.Great White SharkEncountered in Australia from a cage at the Neptune Islands — wildlife tourism rather than scuba diving.Green TurtleThe most commonly encountered turtle on Australian reefs, and a reliable sight at Cook Island and the southern Great Barrier Reef.Leafy SeadragonSouth Australia's emblem and the most elaborately camouflaged fish in the world.Loggerhead TurtleHeavier-headed and less common than the green turtle, with a nationally significant nesting population near Bundaberg.Manta RayReef mantas at cleaning stations — Lady Elliot and Ningaloo are the most reliable encounters in Australia.
Grey Nurse Shark
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Humpback Whale
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possible good peak
Nudibranchs
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possible good peak
Spotted Handfish
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possible good peak
