📍 Sydney, NSW

Bass and Flinders

Beginner ScubaFreediveSnorkel Night DiveDPV
Live
Status
Visibility
Score
Wave
Wind

About Bass and Flinders

Shallow shore dive at the end of Cronulla Peninsula with easy entry/exit, featuring a submerged car wreck and seasonal baby Port Jackson sharks in October.

Live Conditions
Score
Visibility
Predicted
Depth
6m
Experience
Beginner
Best Vis
6m
Rating
starstarstar
Features
KelpBoulders

Bass and Flinders 7-Day Weather Forecast

About this forecast

7-day weather forecast for Sydney, NSW sourced from Open-Meteo. Shows daily high/low temperatures, weather conditions and rain probability — useful for planning your drive to Bass and Flinders.

Wave Height
Offshore
Wind
Knots

Bass and Flinders 7-Day Swell & Wave Height Forecast

Bass and Flinders site-specific wave heights calculated by Pelagic Hadal Conditions Intelligence™
About this forecast

7-day swell forecast for Bass and Flinders, calculated using Pelagic's Hadal Conditions Intelligence™. Wave heights are site-specific — adjusted for Bass and Flinders's exposure, orientation and depth profile. Colour bands show diveable conditions at this site: green is ideal, orange is marginal, red is undiveable.

Optimal Dive Times & Tide Chart — Bass and Flinders

Tide times and optimal dive windows for Bass and Flinders, Sydney, NSW
About this chart

5-day tide chart for Bass and Flinders showing high and low tides with best at incoming or high tide conditions highlighted as green. Tidal movement directly affects visibility and current strength at Bass and Flinders — plan your entry to coincide with the green windows for the best conditions.

Tide data is site-specific and accounts for Bass and Flinders's tidal sensitivity. This site dives best best at incoming or high tide.

Bass and Flinders Location

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Dive Site Guide

Bass and Flinders sits at the very tip of the Cronulla Peninsula where the Port Hacking River meets the open coast, and it punches well above its depth rating for variety. The reef is shallow — maxing out at 6 m — and the terrain includes rocky reef sloping to a sandy bottom, kelp beds covering the mid-section, and an unusual bonus: a small submerged car wreck that has been colonised over the years into a productive artificial reef and a reliable hiding spot for juvenile fish and invertebrates. It is a compact site that gives you more to look at than the depth alone suggests.

In October, baby Port Jackson sharks gather here in numbers, making it one of the most accessible shark nurseries on the Sydney coast. The sharks are small, entirely docile, and photogenic in the shallow water. Outside that window, night diving is the main draw — the shallow rocky reef comes alive after dark with a completely different cast of species than you encounter during the day.

Visibility is typically 5 m or better when conditions are right. The site is best dived on an incoming or high tide, and the entry and exit are easy — one of the better beginner-friendly shore entries in the Cronulla area. The main inconvenience is the walk back up the hill after the dive with full gear. Boat traffic is minimal compared to sites further into Port Hacking, but a surface float is still good practice if freediving.

The site is also suited to DPV exploration — a scooter opens up the reef beyond the immediate entry area and can take you all the way to fish soup. The site has genuine seasonal appeal beyond the standard summer peak. Port Jackson sharks aggregate at Bass and Flinders from late August through October during their annual breeding season, and the underwater terrain of boulders and kelp provides the kind of complex habitat they favour for egg-laying. Multiple sharks can be present simultaneously on a good winter or early spring dive, and because the site is relatively sheltered compared to the more exposed headlands further south, it is often diveable on days when the better-known Port Jackson shark sites are washed out. Night diving is also productive here — the kelp beds come alive with invertebrate activity after dark and the Pelagic trail covers the site to deeper walls.

Restrooms and a shower are 30 m from the entry point. Abyss Scuba Diving is the closest shop 13 km away.

Site Brief
Best Conditions
October for baby Port Jackson sharks, otherwise night diving recommended
Tide
Best at incoming or high tide
Current
Weak
Bottom
Rocky reef dropping to sand
Water Temperature
Summer: 21–24 °C Winter: 15–18 °C
Hazards & Warnings
Fairly steep walk back up hill after dive.
Site Access
Fees
None
Facilities
Restrooms and shower 30 m from entry point.
Nearby Services
Nearby Dive Shops
Abyss Scuba Diving (13 km / 17 min)
Common Questions
How deep is Bass and Flinders?
Bass and Flinders reaches a maximum depth of 6m. This makes it suitable for newly certified divers.
Is Bass and Flinders suitable for beginners?
Yes — Bass and Flinders is rated beginner-friendly. Newly certified divers and snorkelers will feel comfortable here.
What is the visibility like at Bass and Flinders?
Pelagic's Azure™ model predicts an expected visibility of around 6m at Bass and Flinders. Typical visibility is 5m+. Visibility varies with swell, rainfall and tidal conditions — check the live prediction above before heading out.
When is the best time to dive Bass and Flinders?
October for baby Port Jackson sharks, otherwise night diving recommended. (Best at incoming or high tide). Use the tide chart and swell forecast above to plan your entry window.
Can you snorkel at Bass and Flinders?
Scuba, Freedive, Snorkel are all well suited to Bass and Flinders. The site is rated beginner level.
Are there any hazards at Bass and Flinders?
Fairly steep walk back up hill after dive. See the Hazards section below for full details.
What is the water temperature at Bass and Flinders?
21–24 °C / 15–18 °C — summer to winter range. A 5mm wetsuit is recommended for winter, while a 3mm or shorty is fine in summer.
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