Scuba Diving Wynyard, Tasmania

The "Land Down Under" has a lot of diving sites to offer because of its rich marine ecosystem. However, if divers in Australia are looking for a variety of coastal reefs and are planning to engage in wreck diving, they should visit Wynyard.

An important agricultural city located at the tip of the Inglis River (345 kilometres off Tasmania's capital, Hobart), the quaint little town of Wynyard is among Australia's popular diving destinations. Getting here is not difficult because it is accessible by boat through the Bass Strait or by plane through the city's airstrip located at Burnie. Situated at the panoramic north-western part of Tasmania, Wynyard offers picturesque views of the coastline rich in marine species. There are also sandy beaches on its coastline, making it a mecca for tourists and divers from around the world. The water temperature in this region is moderately cool partly because of its unique location, while in here, divers may discover that the visibility of the water is highly significant even if they reach the 30-meter mark.

Diving in Wynyard

The whole of Wynyard area has a comprehensive collection of reefs just two to eight kilometres away from the shore. Serving as the north-west counterpart of Bicheno, this perfect diving area three to 30 metres in depth has rocky walls with sponge gardens, pinnacles, and zoanthids. Its seafloor is rich in kelp beds, making it a sanctuary for armed seastars, black rays, and blue-colored horseshoe leather jackets. However, generally, diving sites herein, except wreck diving areas, are easy to explore, especially if the activity is intended for an open-water dive. Moreover, diving centers also thrive in this region, offering certification programs and diving equipment.

Wynyard offers the SS Southern Cross, a famous wreck diving site, to adventurous scuba enthusiasts. It is said that this wreck has been on the Australian sea bed for over a century, and is mostly covered with kelps and algae. This site can be tricky, with its rusty relics, but it provides fun challenge for amateur and professional divers. Bushes of wild sea kelps also thrive on the surrounding area of this site, making it a haven for bullseyes and crayfish.

Other Wynyard diving sites include The Golden Canyon, the Boatharbour Island, the Sanctuary, the Somerset, and the Pickle bottle. All of which are situated along the Bass Strait and are rich in aquatic species such as the yellow striped goatfish, the southern bastard codling, the broad banded pygmy goby, the greenback flounder, the longsnout boarfish, the bigscaled scalyfin, and the draughtboard sharks. Because several species of fish thrive in these areas, fishing sites can also be found in Wynyard.

Dive Sites

The Golden Canyon, Boatharbour Island, Sanctuary, Somerset, Pickle bottle, Elephant Shark Rock, Outer Reef