Scuba Diving Hobart, Tasmania

Diving in Australia is not complete without visiting Hobart, Tasmania's capital, which is an amazing natural sanctuary detached from mainland Australia by the Bass Strait. As the state capital and the biggest city in Tasmania, it is a busy centre of industry and commerce.

Transportation to and from Hobart is not difficult, as it has its own airport, and is accessible by ferries traveling through Bass Strait. Located at the south-eastern part of Tasmania and cradled between Mount Wellington and the Derwent River, Hobart is a historic town with so much to offer. Hobart is also well-known for its spectacular diving areas.

A widely known tourist destination is the Hobart beach, which has several diving sites. One of the diving destinations here is the Tathra Wharf, which has an approximate diving depth of nine metres. Diving in this site means swimming with seahorses, octopuses, yellow tails, and morays. Since this is also a fishing site, it's highly recommended that tourists and regular visitors be careful in here so as to avoid being snagged by fishing lines.

Diving in Hobart

In Tasmania, passing through the kelp forests and the underwater caves is an amazing water experience. Along the caves are tiny passages and tunnels that lead to the other side of the waters, through which coming across some species is an occasional event. The cave walls literally resemble a celebrated painter's abstract because of the invertebrates covering the walls.

Kianinny Bay is a 17-metre shore where diving activities are most likely to be enjoyable when done during high tides. However, in this particular site, divers should check the weather conditions first because storms and heavy rains can cause poor visibility underwater and pose great risks. Its sandy bottom, which is littered with big boulders, is teeming with nudibranchs, along with a variety of aquatic life such as sharks, puffer fishes, bull rays, and yellow tails swimming in schools.

Ten minutes from Kianinny Bay is the Little Kangarutha, another awesome site. Encompassing a maximum depth of 20 metres, this diving spot is perfect for those who wish to do some sort of exploring. Sponges and soft corals thrive in this site, along with bullfish and sharks.

For divers who wish to see forest kelps, Tathra Pinnacle is the perfect destination. Also called as the Twin Peaks, this site has two distinctive pinnacles, both of which are accessible by boat. With a depth of 28 meters, the Tathra Pinnacle is covered with soft invertebrates, while schools of fish swim around the area.
Meanwhile, a 30-minute drive from Tathra will take tourists to the Merimbula wharf, a 30-meter shore that has drop offs and underwater cliffs. Species that thrive in this site include seahorses and octopuses. Coral reefs also make this site a haven for various schools of fish.

A famous wreck diving site, the SS Empire Gladstone, is a sea carrier that sunk in 1950. This spacious wreckage is perfect for beginners, especially during mild weather conditions.

Dive Sites

Tinderbox, Piersons Point, Yellow Bluff, Ninepin Point