Diving in Batemans Bay, NSW, Australia

Batemans Bay Hypselodoris bennetti Nudibranchs
A pair of Hypselodoris bennetti nudibranchs spotted while diving in Batemans Bay. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Today we are diving in Batemans Bay, NSW, Australia!

Guerilla Bay Yellow Moray Eel
Guerilla Bay Yellow Moray Eel. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHY ARE WE DIVING IN BATEMANS BAY?

I grew up diving in Batemans Bay and have always classed it as home.

Batemans Bay is known for having some of the best oysters in Australia.

With most of its beaches being great dive spots it is most known for two islands about a km off the shore called the Tollgate Islands. From November through to April these islands host one of the largest congregations of Grey Nurse Sharks you can see.

Tollgate Islands Nurse Shark - Batemans Bay
Tollgate Islands Nurse Shark. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

Batemans Bay is about a 4-hour drive South from Sydney, Australia’s largest city.

Read More: Diving in Sydney – Gordon’s Bay

A very easy drive with plenty of impressive stops along the way such as the Sea cliff bridge (Between Sydney and Wollongong), Bushrangers Bay (Shellharbour, where you can snorkel with Grey Nurse Sharks) and Ulladulla.

Batemans Bay Bridge
Batemans Bay Bridge. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHICH DIVE SITES ARE MUST-SEE?

Dragon Rock (Tollgate Islands, max. 25m) – The main grey nurse shark dive, only accessible via boat and due to being situated in a marine park sanctuary zone, you need to follow the guidelines set out to dive here. A impressive must dive spot during November through to April.

Guerilla Bay (max. 15m) – Personally, my favorite site. This site has something for every- one, nudibranchs galore, giant smooth sting rays, eagle rays, schools of fish, octopus and a lot more. Local dive stores will use this site for training as its not to deep and fairly sheltered. Also, a great night dive.

Guerilla Bay Southern Eagle Ray
Guerilla Bay Southern Eagle Ray. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

South Broulee Cave (max. 15m) – Another great dive site with its big draw card being a spectacular cave that runs for about 90m. Dur- ing the warmer months (December to April) we get tropical fish such as Moorish Idols playing in the shallow water. Year round you get an awesome assortment of Nudibranchs, large Wobbegong sharks and the smaller Port Jackson shark. Also, a great twilight dive.

TELL ME MORE

Of the three listed sites, Dragon Rock is the only one accessible by boat the other two are very easy shore dives with Guerilla Bay being a 10 minute drive along the coast from the hub of Batemans Bay and South Broulee being about 20 minutes.

Southern Eagle Ray. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.
Southern Eagle Ray. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

DO I NEED ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT WHEN DIVING IN BATEMANS BAY?

Being on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, the water can get quite cool in the cooler months (13 – 14 degrees) and about 20 – 22 degrees in the warmer months. I dive it year- round in a 5mm wetsuit with hood and would suggest a torch as all the sites have beautiful coral encrusted swim throughs and holes that a torch would help illuminate.

Guerilla Bay South Broulee Nudibranch
Guerilla Bay South Broulee Nudibranch. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHAT LEVEL CERTIFICATION SHOULD I BE?

Open Water level diver would be fine, however I would suggest you be at least AOW to dive the South Broulee Cave.

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS?

I dive all three sites year-round. Depending on wind direction there is very little current, and visibility can vary from 5m through to 30m if the conditions are good.

November to April is the warmer season with water temp getting upwards of 20 degrees.

Gorgonian Corals Guerilla Bay
Gorgonian Corals Guerilla Bay. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

HOW MUCH WILL I SPEND?

The local dive store has rental gear available and does regular boat dives.

Tank fills are about $10 and Tank hire starts at about $20.

WHAT TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION IS AVAILABLE?

Batemans Bay is a town that survives on tourism and contains Hotels, Motels, Camp grounds with cabins and sites for camping and other forms of accommodation.

Prices vary from as little as $30 dollars for a camp site through to $200 dollars a night for a hotel.

Guerilla Bay Wobbegong Shark
Guerilla Bay Wobbegong Shark. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHERE DID YOU STAY?

Lucky for my I have my home here and numerous friends and family who live here too.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Worth it. The south coast is not as busy as the north coast and all our beaches are easily accessible even during peak holiday time.

There is no restriction on parking at our beaches so you can take as much time as you like to navigate the area.

If you are coming with a non-diving partner they will still have a great time as the beaches offer crystal clear water with lots of things to do.

Tollgate Islands Giant Cuttlefish
Tollgate Islands Giant Cuttlefish. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.

WHAT DO WE DO ON SURFACE INTERVALS?

Plenty of things to do, Walks on any of the beaches. Restaurants galore in the main town and multiple pubs and clubs.

There is no real night life though as most pubs and clubs close their doors at around 10:30 pm.

My family and I enjoy walking along a bush track and having a look through rock pools as you walk along the beaches.

Diving in Batemans Bay. Tollgate Islands Dragon Rock
Tollgate Islands Dragon Rock. Photo / Gerrad Kennedy.
I live in this area and try to scuba dive once a week. I hold Rescue diver certification with PADI and have done some of their specialty courses such as the Project Aware Shark Conservation. My favorite dive site is Guerilla Bay, where I have been snorkeling here at about 12 years old and scuba diving here from 16. I feel an attachment to this dive site and it's always Number 1 on my list of sites I tell people about. My favorite fish is the Southern Eagle Ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) followed closely by the Yellow Moray Eel (Gymnothorax prasinus). Come and check out the dive sites in my backyard!