Nelson Bay — Fly Point, the area around Halifax Point

Nelson Bay · Australia · Wall · Reef

Halifax Point

Sponge-covered ledges to 26 m, walked in from shore

Area photo: Matthew Kane · CC0

Halifax Point is the deeper end of Nelson Bay's shore diving: steeper rocky ledges covered in sponge, running down to about 26 m. The Twin Bommies at 20 m carry a carpet of sponges, gorgonians and ascidians, and along with Fly Point this is the pair of shore dives the bay is known for among photographers.

Also known as Halifax Park, Halifax.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Halifax Point: typical dive to 20 m (to 66 ft), deepest point 26 m (85 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 m26 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

32.7099° S, 152.1591° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Entry is from shore, the same as the other Nelson Bay shore dives, but the diving is not the same. The rock at Halifax falls away in steeper ledges than the rest of the shoreline, and every surface of it is covered in sponge. That makes the dive a slow traverse along the face rather than a swim out to a single feature, and it is the reason the site is treated as the deeper, more advanced end of the bay's shore diving.

The Twin Bommies are the set piece, sitting at 20 m: a colourful carpet of sponges, gorgonians and ascidians over the outcrops, with nudibranchs and flatworms on the sponge between them. Below the bommies the bottom continues to about 26 m, which is as deep as the site goes. Plan the dive on the incoming tide into slack high water, then work back up the ledges with enough gas in hand for the shallow swim to the shore exit.

Marine life and season

  • Macro critters
  • Nudibranchs
Month-by-month season rating for Halifax Point
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodGood

Season follows Nelson Bay: Apr–Aug is clearest and coldest, with giant cuttlefish courting in winter; summer runoff can drop visibility to a few metres.

Know before you go

  • The site is best dived on the incoming tide into slack high water, so the dive plan is set by the tide table rather than by convenience.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Halifax Point?+

The ledges bottom out at about 26 m. The Twin Bommies, the site's main feature, sit at 20 m, so most dives work between the bommies and the shallower ledges on the way in and out.

Is Halifax Point a shore dive?+

Yes. Halifax and Fly Point are the two shore dives Nelson Bay is known for, and both are entered by walking in rather than by boat. Halifax is listed among the bay's deeper, more advanced shore dives.

Sources

  1. Halifax Point — Scubago
  2. Port Stephens — Wikivoyage

More dive sites in Nelson Bay

Reef

Broughton Island

A protected colony of endangered grey nurse sharks

to 18 mintermediate

Reef

Fly Point

Pineapplefish under the same ledge for at least seven years

5–25 m · max 26 mintermediate

Reef

Little Beach

Beach entry to a jetty and a sunken barge at 12 m

3–12 mbeginner

Muck & macro

The Pipeline

Blue-lined octopus and pyjama squid along a submerged pipe

to 18 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

Wall

Hanging Rock

Mooloolaba · Australia

A 50 m wall with an overhang you shoot from underneath

13–19 mintermediate

Wall

Clerke Wall

Rowley Shoals · Australia

A broadclub cuttlefish on the coral, sharks and turtles out in the blue.

5–20 mintermediate

Wall

Half Way Wall

Osprey Reef · Australia

Bommies from 20 m on the lip of a thousand-metre wall.

to 20 madvanced