Dive Centre Manly

Lord Howe Island, Australia

The team at Dive Centre Manly, operating out of Lord Howe, brings a Sydney sensibility to island diving, and we appreciate that directness. They’re a solid choice if you're keen on seeing the famous Balls Pyramid, which is our absolute favourite dive here. The trips out there can be long, but the sheer scale of the rock emerging from the deep is something else, and we’ve seen schools of kingfish so dense they’ve blotted out the sun. We’d suggest you go for their early morning trips to Balls Pyramid; the light penetration can be incredible then, painting the rock face in greens and blues. They’re PADI accredited, offering the full range of courses, which is handy if you want to brush up on skills before tackling the deeper sites around the island. Equipment rental is reliable, no surprises there. We found their local knowledge of the reef systems around Lord Howe itself to be really helpful for spotting specific nudibranchs and even the occasional turtle resting in the shallows. Definitely suits divers who appreciate a professional, no-fuss approach to exploring some truly spectacular, and sometimes challenging, dive sites.