Australia · New South Wales

Julian Rocks

Warm-water pelagics, leopard sharks and manta encounters build in summer.

Julian Rocks off Byron Bay is one of Australia's best shore-accessible dive sites — a marine reserve where tropical and temperate species mix on a small offshore pinnacle, with grey nurse sharks in season, leopard sharks, and turtles.

Good season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Grey nurse sharks June–November. Leopard sharks December–May. Year-round divable.

Trip duration

2–3 nights as part of an Australia trip.

Dive style

Boat diving (15-min ride) on a small pinnacle; mild current.

Dive level

Open Water.

Reef health

What you’ll actually find
Mixed

Some loss since the 2010s, but the reef still has plenty to dive. Pick depth and shoulder-season carefully.

Heat stress right now

No stress

No abnormal heat right now. Corals stay coloured.

NOAA Coral Reef Watch · updated May 2026 · 0.2 °C-week heat dose

What to expect on a dive

Subtropical reef at Byron Bay. Turtles and seasonal grey nurse sharks dominate; coral cover modest by tropical standards but stable.

Sources, methodology, and the raw numbers

Raw observed numbers

  • Coral cover: 30% (survey Sep 2024, Local temperate-reef benthic transect)
  • Bleached: 2%
  • Recent mortality: 1%
  • Temperate reef — observed condition reflects the stable regional pattern.

Raw thermal numbers

  • NOAA CRW alert level: No stress
  • Degree Heating Weeks: 0.2 °C-wk
  • SST anomaly: +0.3 °C

How we summarise this

Observed coral cover, bleaching, and mortality come from named in-situ surveys with a stated date and method — they describe one snapshot of one reef and do not extrapolate to neighbouring sites. Current thermal stress is satellite-derived from NOAA Coral Reef Watch at ~5 km resolution; it indicates risk, not observed coral damage. We deliberately separate observed condition, current thermal stress, and projection — and we never publish a projection without a documented model and uncertainty.

Sources

Reef condition changes year to year. If you visit, consider supporting responsible-travel and conservation operators on the ground.

Pressure on this reef

Protection · fishing · what you can do

Protected-area status

Strict MPA

Inside a strict marine protected area with active enforcement.

Fishing pressure

Moderate fishing pressure

Dominant pressures

  • urban runoff
  • warming

1 Green Fins-verified operator known at this location.

What you can do

Cape Byron Marine Park covers Julian Rocks. Strict no-take zones around the rocks — boats anchor on designated moorings only.

Protection status sourced from Protected Planet / WDPA and refined with Marine Protection Atlas. Fishing pressure proxy is Global Fishing Watch AIS data. See the methodology for what these sources can and can’t prove.

Dive sites here

1 curated

Gear

What to bring

Basic kit

Site-specific add-ons

Some dive sites here call for extra gear. Check the individual site page for full context.

  • 5mm wetsuitWinter water drops to 18C — tropical suit insufficient. · Julian Rocks

What divers say

Grey nurse sharks at the Cod Hole at Julian Rocks — accessible big-shark diving without leaving NSW.
Local diver