Best dive spots along NSW north coast?

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Byron Bay is now very expensive, a paradise lost to the greedy, house prices and rents $$$$ over the top.
It WAS my place to surf , dive and fish in my youth, Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve is a good dive , a dive not to be missed, when I have dived it I stayed miles away and only went to Byron for the boat trip out.
Good luck finding some place to stay that will not cost 'an arm and a leg'.

Sounds like the entirety of the north coast now, sadly. We're stuck in Sydney rental hell and want to buy outside the city, and it's just insane. I was reading on Mike McFafyen's site that a lot of the sites in Byron that used to be dived are no longer offered by the local operators and it's all gone a bit downhill up there. Would you say that's still the case?
 
It has been 7 years since I was on a business trip in Sydney and I rode with a bunch of folks to SWR, diving with Fish Rock Dive Center (new owner now I understand). Absolutely amazing. One of my favorite sites.

Cool - thanks for the heads up! I have heard good stuff about SWR on a couple of fronts, so could be a good option... less driving too :)
 
Sounds like the entirety of the north coast now, sadly. We're stuck in Sydney rental hell and want to buy outside the city, and it's just insane. I was reading on Mike McFafyen's site that a lot of the sites in Byron that used to be dived are no longer offered by the local operators and it's all gone a bit downhill up there. Would you say that's still the case?
Sorry, have not been there for close to 2 years [covid], it would be a shame if what you say is true.
:sad2:
 
Thanks for mentioning my web site. Nothing really has changed, in fact Byron has got worse with the shop we used under new ownership and treating all divers as if they are novices. Personally, the Coffs Harbour area is a good spot with great diving at Coffs, the North Solitaries (an hour away) and even South West Rocks is only about an hour's drive.
 
Cool - thanks for the heads up! I have heard good stuff about SWR on a couple of fronts, so could be a good option... less driving too :)
The "Aquarium" is perfectly named. If you go CC, you can get much closer. A guy named Nic Terry has some outstanding images from there. I'd suggest joining the FB group Scuba Dive Sydney: Facebook Gruppen. I met a lot of great folks through there. In my two weeks there, I was able to get in 13 dives. Not bad for a work trip!
 
In my two weeks there, I was able to get in 13 dives. Not bad for a work trip!
Ha ha, work is what you do when not diving. :daydream:
 
Ha ha, work is what you do when
Au contraire! There's running from drop bears that I had to do at Clifton Gardens after a night dive. I didn't see one but my mate who took me there warned me about them.

I don't think the OP knows yet how dangerous these horrid creatures are. Half of all venomous and dangerous species are in Australia!
 
Au contraire! There's running from drop bears that I had to do at Clifton Gardens after a night dive. I didn't see one but my mate who took me there warned me about them.

I don't think the OP knows yet how dangerous these horrid creatures are. Half of all venomous and dangerous species are in Australia!
Clifton Gardens, it was for me a great place for a solo dive and to "just chill out" , Zen time.
Solo diving before it became "a thing" [and the required cert] ,bad boy.
Edit: Shallow easy entry and a night dive with no other diver around, light off [for most of the dive].
 
Au contraire! There's running from drop bears that I had to do at Clifton Gardens after a night dive. I didn't see one but my mate who took me there warned me about them.

I don't think the OP knows yet how dangerous these horrid creatures are. Half of all venomous and dangerous species are in Australia!

Not to worry, my other half is Aussie so she's keeping me safe ^_^ - Little dab of vegemite on pulse points and behind the ears has done wonders for me so far, not a single ambush from those little buggers!
 
Little dab of vegemite on pulse points and behind the ears has done wonders for me so far
A side not: Do you know what Vegemite is called in the Australian Navy [too crude for even here] ?
I will PM you a let you know.:eek:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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