NSW Central Coast · Australia · Reef
Bird Island
Nature-reserve island with wobbegongs in the rocks and stingrays on the sand
Photo: Poyt448, Peter Woodard · CC BY-SA 4.0
A boat dive around a protected island 1.4 km off the coast near Lake Munmorah, over a sandy bottom broken by weed and rocky outcrops in less than 20 m. The shallows support blue groper, Port Jackson sharks, stingrays and cuttlefish, with ocean wobbegongs tucked into the rock and macro life on the weed.
Where it is and how deep
33.2295° S, 151.6023° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Bird Island sits 1.4 km off the coast in the Tasman Sea, and the dive works the shallow water around it: a sandy bottom with rocky outcrops and patches of weed, all in less than 20 m. The outcrops are the route, so the dive moves from one rock area to the next and crosses the open sand between them rather than following a wall or a fixed line.
Stingrays lie on the sand between the rocks, and ocean wobbegongs are tucked into the rock areas, so approach each outcrop slowly and look under the ledges before you settle. The shallow waters around the island also support blue groper, Port Jackson sharks and cuttlefish. The rock and weed sections carry the macro life, so the second half of the dive is best spent slowly over one good patch rather than covering ground.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Wobbegongs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows NSW Central Coast: Logged visibility peaks May–Aug at 15 m or more, when the water is coldest at 16–17°C; spring is murkiest, with 5 m or less logged in October.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the diving at Bird Island?+
The dive stays in less than 20 m, over a sandy bottom with rocky outcrops and weed around the island.
What marine life is at Bird Island?+
Blue groper, Port Jackson sharks, stingrays and cuttlefish in the shallows, ocean wobbegongs tucked into the rock areas, and macro creatures on the rock and weed.
Sources
- Bird Island — Scubago
- Bird Island Nature Reserve — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Bird Island seen from the beach, a low green-topped rocky island offshore by Poyt448, Peter Woodard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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