The water temperature on the Far North Coast of New South Wales ranges from a maximum of 26 degrees at the end of summer (February / March) to a minimum of 18 degrees in late winter (August / September).

Diving off Byron Bay changes with the seasons, but is spectacular all year round.

The colder water from June to November brings in Grey Nurse Sharks, whereas the warmer water brings lots of Leopard Sharks and Manta Rays to the area (December to May).

Marine life is plentiful all year round. On a typical dive, you would see a few turtles, huge schools of big fish such as Jewfish, Kingfish, Snapper and Trevally, Eagle Rays or Bullrays and lots of smaller creatures such as cuttle fish, octopus, nudibranchs and all sorts of shrimps and crabs.

If you would like to find out in more detail what you can expect to see at a specific dive site, read through our dive site descriptions.

Generally, we will pick the best dive sites on the day with regard to weather conditions and divers’ experience levels.

If you have any preference, please advise when making your booking and we will try our best to make it happen.

At Blue Bay Divers we have a full selection of brand new MARES hire gear in all sizes, so you can travel light and take advantage of our gear hire packages.

Fortunately, there is no dangerous Jellyfish in the waters of Northern NSW. The dangerous Box Jellyfish is found much further North in the tropical waters of Queensland.

If we deem sea or bar conditions to be dangerous or extremely unpleasant for our customers, we will cancel the trip and give you a full refund.

To avoid inconvenience, we will try to give you as much notice as possible by studying forecasts and observing sea conditions. However, forecasts can be inaccurate and sea conditions can change unexpectedly.

If you have any doubt about the conditions or if you are travelling far, please give us a call on the day before departure.

The “Bay Warrior” is an extremely comfortable and stable boat.

Even though our cat is much more stable than a regular boat, we highly recommend seasickness tablets if you haven’t got your “sea legs” yet.

Depending on your number of dives and your certification level, a refresher may be required. Please advise our staff when you’re booking in, so we can discuss what’s required.

We don’t offer any dive training at Blue Bay Divers, so you would have to organise a refresher beforehand. We can recommend reputable dive schools in the area.

The “Bay Warrior” has a dry cabin where you can store items you want to keep dry for the duration of the trip.

For cameras that are not waterproof, we recommend that you take photos through the windows of the cabin.

When taking the camera outside, be aware that spray from the ocean or the movement of the boat (or a breaching whale!) could damage your camera.

For individual bookings, we will fully refund any booking that is cancelled at least 48 hours before departure of the trip.

For groups of 4 or more, we require 5 days notice.