The Steps in Sydney is a reputed shore dive. They almost guarantee you’ll get to see weedy sea dragons there. It took us a few attempts to finally scuba dive The Steps, and it was worth the wait. It is known to be one of the best scuba diving sites in Australia to see them. I hope our experience will help you organise your dive.

Scuba diver watching a weedy sea dragon at The Steps (Sydney)
Weedy sea dragon

When to scuba dive The Steps

As for many shore dives, you cannot scuba dive The Steps at any time, especially if it is your first time at this site. You need the right conditions to make sure you enjoy your dive. It is recommended to dive The Steps at slack time (30 minutes before high tide). Also, you will have to check the wind and the waves; we use Willy Weather for this. It is well protected from southerly winds. But if there’s wind from any other direction (especially north) and/or the waves are higher than 1 metre (or you can see them crash on the rocks), you should look for another dive site in Sydney.

We also really wanted to dive The Steps in summer. The water is already quite cold then, so I wouldn’t be comfortable there in winter!

You can check the VIZ – Sydney Diving Visibility Facebook group to get regular reports on the conditions of dive sites near Sydney, including The Steps

How easy is it to enter and exit the water when scuba diving The Steps

If you choose the right day, it’s easy to enter and exit the water at The Steps. The hard part is to carry your equipment down there (and then back up). The stairs leading to the dive site are in very good conditions so if you take your time going down, it’s not too hard.

Going back up with all the gear is more strenuous. As we had enough air, we decided to swim to the other dive site, The Monument (aim for the whale sculpture) and exit via the beach, so that we would not have to climb up the stairs. One of us walked back to get the car (5 minutes) while the other unequipped and had a quick shower. The other bonus of exiting at The Monument is to have access to toilets and showers.

How much does it cost to dive The Steps

If you have your own equipment, it is quite cheap to dive The Steps. You’ll only need to pay for the car park in the national park ($8 for the whole day, so you can stay for hiking if you wish!). If you need equipment, a buddy or a guide, you can contact Abyss Scuba Diving.

What to see when scuba diving The Steps

For us, scuba diving The Steps was all about seeing weedy sea dragons, an interesting critter between a seahorse and a fish. Weedy sea dragons can only be found in Australian waters, in the south. They can be hard to spot as they blend in with the kelp. If you have a torch, the light will reveal the weedy sea dragons orange/red colour.

We found two during our dive; we spotted the first one after only three minutes in the water. But as they are camouflage experts, I’m sure there were a lot more to see! To find them, we swam along the edge of the kelp over the sand. Kelp and patchy sand is often described as a sea dragon heaven.

We also spotted three beautiful big seahorses hooked to sea tulips, an octopus, many nudibranchs and spent a part of the dive with a blue grouper following us around.

To organise your dive, you can use these two maps from the tourist information website: map for The Steps and map for The Monument. We were also lucky to meet a couple of divers at the car park who were happy to answer a few questions to help us finalise our dive plan. That’s how we decided to first go right from The Steps after entering the water and then turn around early to swim all the way to The Monument.

Have you dived The Steps in Sydney? Share your experience in the comments below!

Where is The Steps (Sydney) dive site?

The Steps dive site in Sydney is located in Botany Bay National Park, a bay near Kurnell on the south of Sydney Harbour Bay. As it is at the entrance of Botany Bay, it cannot be dived at any time.

Eloise

Eloise is the creator and writer of MyFavouriteEscapes.com. She writes about her experiences exploring exotic destinations and finding hidden gems closer to home. Her goal is to share tips and stories to inspire and encourage others to go on their own adventures. She loves outdoor and nature-based activities like scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, and sailing. She grew up in France and has lived in England and Turkey before calling Australia home for the past decade. So let's get ready for another adventure!

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Kate

    I’ve never been scuba diving before, but this looks like an amazing place to do it! I would love to see those weedy sea dragons, they look so cool. What an awesome experience!

  2. Hannah

    I’ve not been scuba diving before but I’d love to try it one day! (Even though the thought of it frightens me a bit!) I would love to see the seahorses though, they look like such fascinating creatures! Thanks for the great guide!

  3. Krista

    I’d really like to take some classes and learn how to scuba dive. It looks like a great experience!

  4. Travel A-Broads

    I’ve never been scuba diving – I’m actually way too nervous to try – but I bet it’s so much fun exploring the underwater world! I’ll have to live vicariously through your experience :). I also had never heard of weedy sea dragons before; they look pretty cute, haha. Great post! Xx Sara

  5. Tiffany

    I would love to dive here!!! It is my ultimate bucket list destination/activity!!! So jealous lol

  6. Sydney

    Your photos are amazing! I would love to go scuba diving one day.

  7. anatureescape

    Amazing pictures!

  8. Jill

    I’ve never been scuba diving but it looks like such a wonderful way to explore sea life!

  9. Rhonda

    Your shots are so colourful and clear. I love the sea dragons and have never seen them on a dive before. I never knew that this spot was right in Sydney.

  10. Cosette

    Wow the weedy sea dragon looks so cute. Your photos are so clear and colorful. Love them!

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