The Arch

Best months: Jan–Mar

Protected Area

Bushrangers Bay

Why dive here

With 199+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, bull sharks, dolphins, dugongs and great white sharks - The Arch offers some of Sydney & New South Wales's richest diving. Water ranges 18-23°C, warmest January, February, March.

Best timeJan–Mar

WetsuitA 3mm full wetsuit

Marine lifeBlue Sharks, Bull Sharks, Dolphins, Dugongs and Great White Sharks · 199+ species recorded

Water18-23°C · warmest January, February, March

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Arch, down south from Sydney, is one of our local favourites when the conditions align. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a huge natural archway, maybe four metres tall, carved into the rock. We’ve done it as a shore dive, a bit of a kick from Bushrangers Bay, but a boat makes it easier. Dropping down, you’ll usually find yourself on a sandy bottom at around 16 metres before spotting the dark maw of the arch itself. Swimming through, the light shifts, it gets a touch cooler, and the acoustics change – a strange, echoing quiet. We always take our time here, running our lights along the ceiling to spot the slipper lobsters tucked into crevices. Occasionally, you’ll get lucky with a grey nurse shark cruising through, a real treat, but even without them, the sheer scale of the natural architecture is impressive. It’s a pretty straightforward dive, perfect for advanced open water divers who appreciate unique topography and don’t mind a moderate current if you catch it wrong.