North Head marks the northern entrance to Sydney Harbour, and its eight sites span estuarine, harbour, and open ocean water. The range of environments is broader than most Sydney sub-regions, taking in seagrass beds at Store Beach and Harrys Hill, kelp-fringed reef at Little Manly Cove, and the wreck of the Centurion sitting at comfortable depth a short boat ride from the headland. Most sites suit beginners and intermediate divers, with generally mild currents and accessible depths. Water temperatures mirror those of the surrounding Sydney coast, dipping to their lowest in late winter and early spring and rising through summer. Spotted wobbegong, grey nurse shark, pot-bellied seahorse, green sea turtle, fiddler ray, and nudibranch are recorded across the sites, and boat traffic from the nearby Manly ferry route is a consistent hazard to plan around.
Monthly water temperature across North Head's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water follows the broader Sydney seasonal pattern, warmest in late summer and coolest in late winter and early spring. Visibility inside the harbour can be affected by runoff and tidal movement, and many sites dive best on slack water around the turn of the tide.
Water temperature around North Head ranges from about 18°C in August to 24°C in February, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 24°C) a 3mm full suit is comfortable in North Head; in the coldest months (about 18°C) step up to a 5mm suit.
Fin maps 8 sites in North Head (8 scuba diving sites and 2 snorkelling spots, with some suited to both).
5 more sites to explore
