Other great snorkel dives index

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BARE ISLAND

Southern Sydney, New South Wales

Type of dive:

Reef

Snorkelling:

Great Sydney snorkelling!

Scuba:

Open Water

Access:

Shore

Depth:

Up to 10+ metres (30+’)

Visibility:

5 – 15 metres (15-50’)

Water temperature:

17 – 23°C (63-73°F)

Seasonal:

No, can visit anytime

Quintessential Sydney diving!

Bare Island, traditional land of the Gweagal and Kameygal First Nations people, is located off La Perouse on the inside of the northern entrance to Botany Bay.

In the 1880’s, due to the perceived threat of Russian invasion, a fort was constructed on the island, exploration of the fort is well worth while.

Bare Island Fort was used in the Tom Cruise film “Mission: Impossible II”.

The island, now linked to shore with a foot bridge, has many fantastic dive sites protected from the ocean swell and is diveable in most weather conditions, except in westerly winds.

Colourful sponges, corals and sea tulips (solitary ascidians) adorn the island’s many drop-offs, gullies, caves, overhangs, walls, rocky shelves and large boulders. Other invertebrate life is abundant, including bright sea stars and many species of colourful delicate nudibranch.

Pygmy and mosaic leatherjackets, red Indian fish, weedy seadragons, frog fish and elusive pygmy pipehorses can be found amongst the sponges and weed.

The south side is teeming with fish, including huge schools of sea sweep and one spot pullers, and is often visited by pelagic fish such as trevally and yellow-tail kingfish. Resident fish include moray eels, eastern blue groper, wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks, and rays often frequent the sandy bottom.

Lucky divers may also encounter giant cuttlefish!

2026 GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIVE CHALLENGE
Dive Registration
To register this dive for validation, go to: www.50greatdives.com.
Dated image of entrant with dive gear on the bridge in front of Bare Island required.