There are some great dive spots around Newcastle. The bridge dive at Swansea is a great shore dive with encrusted pylons and a great variety of fish. It is also possible to hire DPVs from the dive shop in swansea and the only place in the newcastle area where this is possible. The channel is perfect for a drift dive. Boat dives are also on offer to as far south as Nora Head. just outside the heads are reef dives swimthroughs caves and wrecks. Moon Island, the arch, the temple the list goes on.
My personal favourite is the bridge dive as it is a shore dive it is easily accessable, if you've done this dive a few times a DPV dive adds another dimension. I made it all the way to other side and back with plenty of time to check out all the fish and pylons on a 11tr tank and still had battery left. Another great shore dive is off Newcastle Baths and as there is no boat dive operators within Newcastle itself shore dives are the way to go. There are also shore dives from Catherine Hill Bay, about 20min south of Swansea. If none of these are to your fancy there is always Nelson Bay. When I did my open water course, in Cairns (brag brag brag) I was really suprised that in the diving mecca of the world when I told people I was from Newcastle they said "there are some really great dive spots around there" and you know they were right.
Happy Diving.
Contributed by Newcastle Diver added 2005-06-16