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Sundive Byron Bay
4.8
309 reviewsAbout
Sundive Byron Bay is the town's only PADI Five Star Dive Centre, offering daily scuba diving, snorkelling and seasonal whale watching minutes from the heart of Byron Bay. Established in 1988, Sundive is recognised as a centre of excellence in diver training.
Dive and snorkel trips explore the Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Marine Park, only 2.5 kilometres offshore and often likened to a mini Galapagos. Tropical and temperate currents meet here to create one of the most prolific fish dives in the world, where turtles, manta rays, leopard sharks, grey nurse sharks and wobbegongs are common. Australian Geographic rates Julian Rocks among the best snorkelling spots in Australia.
Sundive also runs the Cape Byron Leopard Shark project, a citizen science study of the leopard sharks that visit Julian Rocks in the warmer months. Guest photos help identify individual sharks, and acoustic receivers on the site track their movements.
Diving suits everyone, from first timers trying a Discover Scuba session to certified divers and PADI courses up to Divemaster. Daily snorkelling tours visit sheltered, shallow areas rich in marine life, ideal for families.
Whale watching is the newest adventure. Each year thousands of humpback whales pass Cape Byron, the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Trips of just eight guests are backed by a whale guarantee, so anyone who misses out can return and try again.
What's Available
1 featuresAdventure
Available Tours
Dive at the Julian Rocks
Let one of Sundive's highly experienced local guides show you why Julian Rocks has been recognised as one of the top dive sites in Australia. Expect to see tropical, temperate and pelagic fish. Three different species of turtle, manta rays, eagle rays, grey nurse sharks, leopard sharks, whales and dolphins are all common visitors to the Julian Rocks. Sundive offers daily dive trips to Julian Rocks, the iconic island in the middle of the bay. The daily trips depart from Byron Bay up to three times per day. Leopard sharks photographed on the dive can be submitted to the Cape Byron Leopard Shark project, Sundive's citizen science study that identifies individual sharks from guest photos and tracks their movements with acoustic receivers at Julian Rocks.
Snorkel Tour
Snorkelling tours of Julian Rocks are available every day. Snorkellers are taken to the most protected and sheltered areas possible, usually the Nursery. Here, the depths are shallow (three to 12 metres), and you will see just as much marine life as the divers. All snorkellers are carefully supervised, and the boat is only ever a short swim away. From June to August, humpback whales travel up the east coast of Australia. From September they travel back down the coast with their newly born calves. As Cape Byron is the most easterly point in Australia, it's a great spot to do a little whale watching. When time and ocean conditions permit, a little sightseeing of the Cape and coastline is included.
Discover Scuba Dive - Half Day Experience
The introductory dive is designed for non-certified divers. Anyone can try an introductory dive! This half-day course begins at Sundive with a short theory and pool session where guests will be introduced to the fundamentals of diving. Divers are then taken out to the Julian Rocks Marine Park for a supervised dive with one of the experienced instructors. Divers can expect to see many species of tropical and temperate water marine life. Sundive offers introductory dives every day - bookings are essential.
Whale Watching
Sundive offers a small group whale watching adventure off Byron Bay, the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Each year during the humpback migration, thousands of whales travel along the coastline past Cape Byron between their southern feeding grounds and warmer northern waters. From the water these encounters feel completely different, with guests surrounded by open ocean while scanning the horizon for the first breach, tail slap or blow. Trips carry a small group of just eight guests aboard a purpose built vessel designed for the Byron Bay coastline. Guests spend around two hours on the water, and every trip is shaped by the weather, sea state and whale activity on the day. Whale watching trips check in at the Sundive shop in central Byron Bay for a briefing, followed by a short transfer to the launch point at The Pass boat ramp. Boarding involves a beach launch, so guests should be reasonably fit and comfortable wading through shallow water to climb aboard. Ponchos are provided. Every trip is backed by a whale guarantee, so guests who do not see a whale are welcome to return and try again.
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Reviews & Ratings
rick cmelik
Google review
Can’t fault it, the staff were really chill, our dive master Adam was experienced and knew the dive site well and made decisions on where we went according to conditions on the spot keeping the dive comfortable and enjoyable. We saw a lot of wobble-gongs and a grey nurse, we even spotted a hammerhead on the way to Julian rocks! Cool team, good dive site with an interesting best of both worlds tropical/ sub tropical environment depending on time of year. or if you’re lucky like us both at once! Definitely will come back for a dive again
Yasmin McCafferty
Google review
Such an incredible experience with the friendly crew at Sundive. Especially enjoyed my afternoon dive with Emma- my favourite dive I've done! At one point, we were completely surrounded by grey nursing sharks- what a surreal experience. The skipper, Mark, went out of the way to stop to watch the whales and dolphins from the boat on the way back. Just be warned it's cold in July, we wore our own wetsuits underneath their wetsuits and were the perfect temperature.
Oska Brookes
Google review
Absolutely incredible experience! 👌 Everyone was so welcoming and very well organized. The briefing was exceptional and the dive was fantastic... 15 leopard sharks, rays, wobbies, turtle, barracuda, parrot fish..... Julian Rocks with SunDive Byron Bay should be high on the bucket list for everyone. + they have two of the best dogs. 😁 Thank you for the amazing experience - me and my friends will be back!
Jon Towers
Google review
We (ages 56, 23 & 21) did the try scuba course with Sundive and had a great morning. We were looked after by Adam and he was cool, calm and knowledgeable. He had a great balance with giving us information but also trying to making us responsible for our gear and actions whilst always being on hand ready to help when needed. It was really great to go out with other experienced divers on the dive boat and have a proper experience at Julian Rocks. We saw all sorts of fish but the highlight was the grey nurse shark - amazing experience being so close. Thanks very much.
Bex
Google review
The fun and friendly crew at Sundive made sure I had a good experience. They were professional and gave good instructions/briefing. Even though the visibility was a bit low at times due to the recent storms, there was still so much to see and Nguthungulli remains one of my favourite Australian dive sites. Can't wait to come back :)
Get in touch
Where you'll be
Shop 8
Byron Bay NSW 2481