NSW Central Coast · Australia · Wall · Night
Norah Head (Cabbage Tree Bay)
Beginner wall dive to 14 m with sleeping blue gropers on night dives
Area photo: Ray Hayward · CC BY-SA 3.0
A shallow shore dive in the bay at Norah Head, where a small wall runs out to the point over a sandy, rubble-strewn bottom. Both Scubago and the local operator rate it a beginner site and use it for Open Water courses, and it works as a night dive: schools of yellowtail swim around you in the torchlight while the blue gropers sleep in their holes.
Also known as Cabbage Tree Bay.
Where it is and how deep
33.2785° S, 151.5690° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You enter from the shore beside the boat ramp in Cabbage Tree Bay and follow the wall out towards the point. It is a wall dive with a sandy bottom, and the depth builds slowly: Central Coast Divers gives the maximum as 8 to 10 m, while Scubago puts it at 14 m at the deepest, out at the point of the wall. There is nothing to rush for, which is why the operator runs Open Water courses here and recommends it to newly certified divers who want more practice.
The life is small and close. Stingrays lie on the sand and rubble, octopus and cuttlefish work the rocks, and the kelp and rock ledges hold nudibranchs, sea hares and sea stars, with schools of little fish over the top. Turn back along the wall when you reach your turn pressure and finish in the shallows by the ramp.
At night the bay changes character. Schools of yellowtail swim around you in the torch beam, the schools of small fish are out foraging over the rubble, and the blue gropers are asleep in their holes, where a torch finds them at close range. Keep the wall as your reference on the way out and follow it back to the ramp to finish.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
Is Norah Head a good dive for beginners?+
Yes. Scubago rates Cabbage Tree Bay a beginner site suited to Open Water courses, and Central Coast Divers recommends it to beginners who want more practice. The maximum depth is 8 to 10 m by the operator's figure and 14 m at the point of the wall by Scubago's.
What do you see diving Cabbage Tree Bay at Norah Head?+
Stingrays, octopus, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, sea hares and sea stars over a sand and rubble bottom, with schools of small fish and kelp-covered rocks. At night, schools of yellowtail and blue gropers asleep in their holes.
Sources
- Norah Head (Cabbage Tree Bay) — Scubago
- Local Shore Dives — Central Coast Divers
- Coastal coal-carrying trade of New South Wales — Wikipedia
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