Being a coastal city, Sydney has a lot of aquatic reserves surrounding its harbour. One of the most well-known site is Cabbage Tree Bay, which is located in the beach area of Manly.
Being next to the reserve, Shelly Beach served as the gathering point of divers and the entry point of the dive site. Therefore, the beach’s name is often referred as the dive site by the diving community.
Shelly Beach is favored by snorkelers and divers with its large variety of marine lives and shallow water depth. With a maximum depth of 12 meters and being a shore dive, the dive site is also beginner-friendly and easily accessible.
I had the best shore diving experience in Sydney at the beach as there are also multiple diver-friendly facilities in the area, such as diver-designated benches and showers for managing your equipment and cleaning yourself after the dives. (The public amenities are having an upgrade now and are expected to return to service in August 2023.)
Parking slots are 4 hours maximum, which should be enough for two dives. I would suggest people to get there earlier as the parking slots are limited and the alternatives would take a few minutes walk.
Notable residents in the reserve are green sea turtles, wobbegong sharks and port jackson sharks. There are also two bike wrecks now act as artificial reefs for the marine life.
Check out my latest dive vlog for the amazing encounters in my two dives in November 2022 below: