Nelson Bay

Nelson Bay is on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia, about an hour drive north of Newcastle. Nelson Bay, the largest town in Port Stephens, is a hub for many outdoor activities. Many come here to whale and dolphin watch or go scuba dive. There is also easy access to restaurants and sheltered beaches nearby.

Scuba Diving Nelson Bay

The underwater world is amazing, with sponge gardens, soft corals, sea turtles and a colourful array of fish. Nelson Bay has some of Australia’s best shore dive sites and there are some excellent dive sites along the exposed coastline and around the islands just offshore.

The signature dive sites on this Nelson Bay Scuba Diving Trip are on Broughton Island, in particular, ‘Looking Glass’ which is a dive through a crack and arch in the rock, which you’ll share with grey nurse sharks. This should be a scuba dive at the top of your agenda if you have not dived in Nelson Bay before.

The wreck of the Oakland lies in 27meters and therefore is for Advanced Certified Divers only. The wreck of the Oakland has prolific fish life. Along the hull, you can find squid eggs, eels colourful sponges, resident Blind, Wobbegong and Port Jackson Sharks, as well as schools of Pomfrets.
Fortesque covers the surrounding sand with the odd Shovel Nosed and Fiddler Rays. Most times, there are big schools of yellowtail scat above with visiting King Fish, Bonito, Taylor and Australian Salmon.
There are a number of local shore dives, including the popular Fly Point, which is one of the best shore dives in New South Wales. Fly Point can be done as an exciting drift dive or on slack tide as reef dive giving the best visibility and a great opportunity for macro divers. Thousands of fish in a very colourful sponge garden, perfect for keen photographers.

• Two-night twin share accommodation at the Nelson Bay Breeze Holiday Apartments
• Double boat dive Saturday morning followed by a shore dive
• Double boat dive Sunday morning
• Includes air fills
• Breakfasts Sat & Sun morning

The price does not include transport or equipment hire (scuba equipment, BCD, regulator, weights, wetsuit and tank), which can be hired for a discounted rate for the two days.

Advanced Course During the Nelson Bay Dive Trip

For this trip, an Advanced certification is required. If you're not Advanced certified, this is a great trip to do your training at the same time! For an additional -- EVE Shortcode --, you can do your PADI Advanced Open water course amongst large schools of fish, grey nurse sharks, and shipwrecks! This is a great trip to do training on, as it won't take away from enjoying your dives while here. The course includes five dives, focusing on a different theme for each dive: Deep, Wreck, Boat, Navigation, and Underwater Naturalist.  What a great addition to your trip to dive Nelson Bay.

Weekend Trips - Diving Nelson Bay Schedule