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Shark diving had been on my Australia travel bucket list for a long time when I finally ticked it off in Byron Bay. During shark week, no less! We headed out to Julian Rocks for another dive, after our first visit earlier in the season was too soon to spot the grey nurse sharks. This time, the conditions were perfect – and the experience didn’t disappoint.
Why Julian Rocks is the spot for Byron Bay shark diving
Julian Rocks is one of Australia’s top scuba diving locations. It sits just 2.5 km off Byron Bay and attracts an incredible mix of marine life thanks to the warm tropical currents meeting cooler southern waters.
If you’re keen to dive with grey nurse sharks in Byron Bay, the best season is winter (June to September) when the colder water brings them in. Outside of that time, you’ll still see plenty of marine life – from turtles to wobbegongs and schools of fish – but winter is when shark diving here is at its best.
See my post on Julian Rocks for more details about this dive location.
Diving in Australia? Don’t miss this list of the best scuba diving sites on Australia’s East Coast!
What it’s like to dive with grey nurse sharks and why it was on my bucket list
I’ve seen plenty of sharks before while diving in Australia – reef sharks, wobbegongs, even guitar sharks. They’re always exciting, but they don’t have the same presence as grey nurse sharks.
Grey nurse sharks are impressive: up to 3.5 metres long, with a bulky body and a mouth full of sharp teeth. They look intimidating, but they’re actually harmless. The thrill comes from how close they get to divers. Having one swim just a few centimetres above your head is an unforgettable moment that sent shivers down my spine.
Why this dive felt so special
Apart from the adrenaline rush, there’s also something humbling about seeing grey nurse sharks in the wild. They’re critically endangered, and Australia is one of the few places where you can still reliably spot them.
Once found across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific oceans, their population has dramatically declined due to overfishing and habitat loss. Today, they survive in small populations off the coasts of North Carolina, South Africa, and Australia.
Even though they’re now protected, their recovery is slow. If you go shark diving in Byron Bay, you’ll likely hear about conservation efforts. As divers or travellers around Australia’s East Coast, we can all play a role, as described on the Australian Government’s website:
- Don’t fish in grey nurse shark areas.
- Pick up rubbish or fishing gear you see on the beach or underwater.
- Report any sightings of tagged sharks to NSW Fisheries.
- Get involved in local conservation programs if you can.
Planning your Byron Bay shark diving trip
Julian Rocks is just off the Byron Bay coast in New South Wales. It’s about a two-hour drive from Brisbane, which makes it possible as a day trip, though I’d recommend staying for a weekend to soak up Byron’s atmosphere. It’s actually a perfect destination for a scuba diving weekend away from Brisbane.
If you’ve never dived before, you can join an introductory dive or even snorkel at Julian Rocks. You might not get as close to the sharks without a scuba licence, but there are plenty of turtles and colourful reef life to enjoy.
And if you’re hooked on shark diving after Byron Bay, there are other fantastic spots along the East Coast of Australia to encounter grey nurse sharks, including Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), Cherubs Cave, Wolf Rock near Rainbow Beach, Fish Rock Cave (South West Rocks), and Broughton Island near Port Stephens.
Would you scuba dive with grey nurse sharks? Share your experience in the comments below!
Wow, what an experience!! You are a brave adventurous soul! Why are they called grey nurse?
I’m not that brave: I only go when danger is low and controlled 😉
I did some research about the name, and it’s quite obscure. I’ve put what I’ve found below as I think it’s interesting to look at how confusing it is 😉 But sorry, I don’t have an answer for you. I’ll try to ask the staff next time I have the opportunity.
This is what I’ve found about nurse sharks, that are a lot different from the grey nurse sharks according to the photo:
“The origin of the name “nurse shark” is unclear. It may come from the sucking sound they make when hunting for prey in the sand, which vaguely resembles that of a nursing baby. Or it may derive from an archaic word, nusse, meaning cat shark. The most likely theory though is that the name comes from the Old English word for sea-floor shark: hurse.” – from the National Geographic (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/nurse-shark/)
To make it easier, the Grey Nurse Shark has several names. It is called “Sand Tiger Shark” by Wikipedia (not to be confused with the tiger sharks, though), that mentions:
“The grey nurse shark, the name used in Australia and the United Kingdom, is the second-most-used name for the shark, and in India it is known as blue-nurse sand tiger.” – from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_tiger_shark)
Its really another world underneath the sea. I like the pointers you gave to help save these sharks. Its very important that we do take care of the marine life thats left before everything disappears completely.
I think i would be worried if one suddenly came swimming out of the murky waters towards me. Love the close up images with their teeth showing…………..
Thanks for your comments Dave, and for reading how to save them. I really hope we’ll manage to reverse this. It’s so sad to loose our marine life.
And you’re right, if it comes to you suddenly, that’s a good idea to be worried. I’m glad I was doing the dive knowing a bit what to expect! 😀
Sounds great. I prefer diving with smaller fishes. You said they are not dangerous, but they those sharks don’t look very friendly.
They can be very impressive indeed. There are tons of smaller fish around Julians Rocks too, it’s such a great place 🙂
Your photo’s came out great for being underwater, so clear! My son just got his certification to dive. His goal is to get to the Great Barrier Reef and swim with the sharks. I’m sending him your link!
The visibility wasn’t too good for the photos but the sharks were coming very close, so it really helped 😉
Thank you for your comments and sharing the link. I hope your son will enjoy his trip to the reef. I advise going to the Outer Reef for a better experience. The sharks we saw over there were reef sharks – smaller and less impressive but still great to meet. If he has time to come a bit further down for the Grey Nurse, it’s an amazing shark experience. Byron Bay is great for the Open Water Diver. If he goes to the Advanced Certification, Rainbow Beach (Queensland) or Fish Rock Cave (New South Wales) can be great options too!
What an adventurous diver you are! I have never even heard of half those things you listed in the marine life list. Looks like so much fun and danger, all at the same time. Have a great time diving and thanks for sharing the underwater life with the rest of us chickens.
Thank you for leaving a comment Melody. It’s often that I don’t know the things I discover underwater until I go back on the boat and ask the guide what we saw! I love how much I have to learn about the underwater life and system, it’s very exciting. It’s really good fun and – for the dives I pick – danger is limited! 🙂
This would be so cool, we would love to do something like this one day, although the sharks aren’t dangerous it still looks quite scary!
I hope you get the chance to do it, Paul! It’s scary at the beginning and then it’s impressive and fascinating 🙂
Wow!! What a great adventure!! That is going to my bucket list now 😉 great article!
Thank you, VIctor. I hope you’ll tick that one off your bucket list soon then! 😀
So cool!! I just did a couple of shark dives in Fiji and saw tawny nurse sharks (not grey), bull sharks, lemon sharks, grey reef, silvertips, white and black tips. It was truly mindblowing to see that many sharks in such close proximity. some people are against feeding sharks (let them find their own food) but the dive centre i went with (Beqa Adventure Divers) uses the shark feeding to monitor the sharks and do research on them, so i think in this case the pros outweigh the cons. it’s a complex topic for sure.
i would like to see grey nurse sharks someday!
Michelle, I am happy that my article reminded you great times in Fiji. I haven’t been there yet but I’ve heard about it. It is indeed very impressive the number of species you saw in only two dives!
As you say, mixing conservation with tourism is a complex topic indeed. I am amongst those who believe feeding sharks for tourist attraction isn’t a good idea. How could that help the shark? In this situation, I believe the aim is to make tourists happy, not the sharks. Still, it is, of course, a better idea to exploit sharks for tourism than to kill them for their fins, so I don’t want to blame the tourism industry too much! I had a quick look at what Beqa Adventure Divers does for shark conservation (http://fijisharkdive.com/conservation/fiji-shark-project/): they share some profits with local fishermen and also state on their website they financially support research. Doesn’t sound too bad to me!