Best Places to Dive in Tasmania

Tasmania's diving is cold, often clear and unlike anywhere else in Australia. Much of the island is built from Jurassic dolerite, which forms the columned sea cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula, Australia's highest at up to about 300 metres, while the east coast around Bicheno and many offshore islands are granite. Underwater you can expect kelp and sponge gardens, weedy seadragons, Maori octopus, draughtboard sharks and fur seals. Tasmania, lutruwita in palawa kani, has been home to Aboriginal people for around 42,000 years.

The state has 21 marine reserves in its own waters. Marine nature reserves such as Governor Island and Tinderbox are no-take, while marine conservation areas, including the one covering Waterfall Bay and Fortescue Bay, still allow fishing.

## The Tasman Peninsula

The Tasman Peninsula, about 90 minutes' drive from Hobart, is where most visiting divers start. Eaglehawk Dive Centre, at Pirates Bay on Eaglehawk Neck, has operated since 1991, and most of its sites can only be reached by boat because the coast is so steep. Its standard trips cover the coast between Cape Surville on the Forestier Peninsula and Cape Hauy, with a fuel surcharge for the more distant SS Nord, Tasman Island, Cape Pillar, Munro Bight and Hippolyte Rock.

A few minutes south of the Pirates Bay wharf, [Waterfall Bay](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/waterfall-bay) has sheer walls, and just around Waterfall Bluff lies Cathedral Cave, a system of at least a dozen connected caves, tunnels and arches. Boats tie off over about 22 metres, and the tunnels run through to Waterfall Bay at around 18 metres. DAN called it the largest sea cave system in Australia. Good buoyancy is essential.

Seals are the other big draw. Off Cape Hauy, Michael McFadyen found fur seals year round at the gaps beside the Candlestick and Totem Pole, mostly New Zealand fur seals with some Australian fur seals, anchoring in about 10 metres beside kelp that reaches the surface. Eaglehawk Dive Centre says most seal encounters happen between the surface and 5 metres, on sites that reach about 20 metres, and rates them suitable for beginners, though sightings are never guaranteed. Further out, [Hippolyte Rocks](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/hippolyte-rocks) is a granite island and a large seal haul-out, protected within the Hippolyte Rocks Marine Conservation Area.

For deep divers, the [SS Nord wreck](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/ss-nord-wreck) lies in 31 to 43 metres in Munro Bight, below Cape Pillar. She struck the pinnacle between the Hippolyte rocks in 1915 but sank hours later in Munro Bight, well to the south-west. Eaglehawk Dive Centre rates the Nord for experienced divers with Deep Diver training: a deep recreational dive with decompression stops likely, rather than a technical-only site.

The walls are just as deep. [Sisters Rocks](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/sisters-rocks-cape-surville) lie off Cape Surville on the Forestier Peninsula, north of Eaglehawk Neck, and DAN described the Sisters and the Thumbs as advanced dives because of their depth, surge and strong currents that are hard to predict, with sponge gardens at around 40 metres. Eaglehawk Dive Centre's sponge garden dives start at 30 metres and are for experienced deep divers.

For an easier dive, [Fortescue Bay](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/fortescue-bay) is a shore dive inside Tasman National Park, with reef at 10 to 18 metres. It was known for giant kelp, but most of that has gone, and the bay is now a site for kelp restoration research.

## Bicheno and Governor Island

Bicheno, on the east coast about two and a half hours' drive from Hobart or Launceston, is Tasmania's other main dive centre. [Governor Island Marine Reserve](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/governor-island-marine-reserve), declared in 1991, lies just off the town and is a fully no-take reserve. Parks and Wildlife counts more than 35 recognised dive sites, including the Hairy Wall, a granite face dropping to 35 metres with masses of sea whips; the Castle, a swim-through between two huge granite boulders; and the Golden Bommies, two 10-metre pinnacles glowing with yellow zoanthids. Longsnout boarfish, banded morwong, old wives, Shaw's cowfish and schools of butterfly perch are common, and the caves hold bullseyes, cardinalfish, rock lobster and octopus.

This is not a beginner's reserve. Parks and Wildlife warns that the water is deep, with strong currents and swell, recommends it for experienced divers with local knowledge or a guide, and says it is best reached by boat. Do not dive or snorkel in Waubs Gulch, the narrow channel between the island and the town, which carries boat traffic and strong currents. For something gentler, the shore dives at Waubs Bay are known for weedy seadragons and big-bellied seahorses. Bicheno is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies, local operators offer guided dives and gear hire, and winter brings the clearest water, up to 30 metres, while summer plankton blooms often cut visibility.

## Maria Island, Ile des Phoques and Freycinet

South of Bicheno, Freycinet National Park has easier snorkelling and diving: Parks and Wildlife recommends Sleepy Bay, and the sheltered Honeymoon Bay for beginners. Offshore, [Ile des Phoques](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/ile-des-phoques) is a small granite island in the Schouten group and a nature reserve where Australian fur seals haul out. A 2017 Spirit of Tasmania guide called it one of Tasmania's most exciting dives, riddled with caves, several of which run right through the island. We could not find a dive operator advertising scheduled trips there in 2026, so plan on a private charter.

Further south, Parks and Wildlife calls the marine reserve along Maria Island's north-west coast one of the finest in Tasmania. Snorkel or dive the sheltered water at Darlington Bay and the Painted Cliffs, or take a boat to Fossil Bay, where caverns and tunnels run up to 40 metres into the limestone cliffs. The Troy D, a former Melbourne hopper barge scuttled off Maria Island in February 2007, sits on her keel with the seabed at about 24 to 26 metres, about 20 minutes by boat.

## Hobart and the South

[Tinderbox Marine Reserve](https://scubadownunder.com/dive-sites/tinderbox-marine-reserve), about 30 minutes' drive south of Hobart, is Tasmania's most accessible marine reserve and a popular place for beginners to practise. The whole reserve is no-take. On the south-western shore of Tinderbox Bay, a narrow kelp-covered sandstone reef often has seahorses; east of the boat ramp, a dolerite reef steps down to 6 to 10 metres with a seasonal giant kelp forest; and the current off Piersons Point feeds sponges, sea whips and gorgonians. Do not snorkel within 30 metres of the boat ramp or across the boating channel.

South of Hobart, Ninepin Point Marine Reserve, near where the Huon River meets the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, has a layer of tannin-stained fresh water over the sea that brings deep-water life such as sea fans, sea whips and jackass morwong into shallow water. Bring a torch even by day.

## The Kent Group

The Kent Group, a cluster of five granite islands and several islets in Bass Strait, is a national park and marine reserve reached only by private or chartered boat, or by very experienced sea kayakers. Its waters have the highest fish diversity of any location in Tasmania, gorgonian sea fans a metre or more high on the deep reefs, and the shallow wrecks of the steamships Bulli and Karitane. Many sites have strong tidal currents. The largest Australian fur seal colony in Bass Strait is on Judgement Rocks, and boats must not approach or disturb it. The western half of the reserve is no-take.

## When to Dive

You can dive Tasmania year round. The clearest water usually comes in winter: Parks and Wildlife says winter visibility at Governor Island can reach 30 metres, and DAN put the best clarity in June to September. Winter is also when the water is coldest, down to about 11°C, while Bicheno can reach 20°C in summer, when plankton blooms often reduce visibility. A drysuit or a full 7 mm wetsuit is the usual recommendation. Weather decides what you can dive, especially on the exposed Tasman Peninsula sites, so build spare days into any trip.

## Site Access and Logistics

Fly into Hobart for the Tasman Peninsula and the south; for Bicheno, Launceston also works, and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry runs from Geelong to Devonport. Eaglehawk Dive Centre is about 80 kilometres from Hobart and 50 minutes from the airport, and offers boat dives, gear hire, air and nitrox fills, courses and accommodation. Go Dive Tasmania, based in Hobart, also runs boat dives on the peninsula, with a lodge at Taranna. A parks pass is needed to enter national parks such as Tasman National Park.

Take nothing from the no-take reserves, leave historic wrecks such as the SS Nord undisturbed (they are protected under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018), and keep boats well away from breeding seal colonies.

## Sources

- [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Marine reserves](https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/marine-reserves) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Marine Conservation Areas](https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/marine-reserves/marine-conservation-areas) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Snorkelling and scuba diving](https://parks.tas.gov.au/things-to-do/snorkelling) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Tasman National Park](https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasman-national-park) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Governor Island Marine Reserve visitor guide (PDF)](https://parks.tas.gov.au/Documents/Governor_Island_Marine_Reservede9b.pdf) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Tinderbox Marine Reserve visitor guide (PDF)](https://parks.tas.gov.au/Documents/Tinderbox_Marine_Reserve428a.pdf) - [Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Kent Group National Park visitor guide (PDF)](https://parks.tas.gov.au/Documents/Kent_Group_National_Park63cd.pdf) - [Eaglehawk Dive Centre: About us](https://eaglehawkdive.com.au/about-us/) - [Eaglehawk Dive Centre: Dive Services](https://eaglehawkdive.com.au/dive-service/) - [Eaglehawk Dive Centre: Fur seal colonies](https://eaglehawkdive.com.au/fur-seals-colony/) - [Eaglehawk Dive Centre: Sponge gardens](https://eaglehawkdive.com.au/sponge-garden/) - [Eaglehawk Dive Centre: SS Nord](https://eaglehawkdive.com.au/the-nord/) - [Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving: Cathedral Caves, Eaglehawk Neck](https://michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=675) - [Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving: Cape Hauy Seals](https://michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=735) - [Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving: Eaglehawk Neck General Information](https://michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=734) - [Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving: SS Nord](https://michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=733) - [Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database: Nord](https://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7551) - [DAN Alert Diver: Tasmania (Brandon Cole, 2015)](https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/tasmania/) - [50 Great Dives: Governor Island Marine Reserve](https://50greatdives.com/50gtdives/entry/47/) - [50 Great Dives: SS Nord](https://50greatdives.com/auswreckx/entry/451/) - [50 Great Dives: Troy D](https://50greatdives.com/auswreckx/entry/454/) - [Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database: Troy D](https://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=9444) - [Reef Life Survey: Survey data](https://reeflifesurvey.com/survey-data/) - [Discover Tasmania: Bicheno](https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/regions/east-coast/bicheno/) - [Spirit of Tasmania: Tasmania's Top Five Places to Dive (2017)](https://spiritoftasmania.com.au/blog/tasmanias-top-five-places-to-dive) - [Go Dive Tasmania: Boat Dives](https://godivetas.com.au/products/boat-dives) - [Wikipedia: Tasmania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmania) - [Wikipedia: Hippolyte Rocks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolyte_Rocks) - [Wikipedia: Ile des Phoques](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ile_des_Phoques)

Header photo: A longsnout boarfish over the reef at Governor Island, Bicheno, by Peter Southwood, [CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pentaceropsis_recurvirostris_P2143450.JPG).