Julian Rocks, The Nursery

Julian Rocks: The Nursery, Byron Bay NSW

By ScubaDownUnder Team · 2026-10-22

A backward roll off the boat, a hand on the mooring line, and the clatter of the surf launch falls away. Below, the reef is close enough to read: rock furred with growth, small tropical fish hanging over it, a turtle cruising past without a second glance. This is The Nursery, the shallow, sheltered corner of Nguthungulli Julian Rocks where Sundive starts most of its dives, and for many visitors it is the first look at Byron Bay's famous rocks from underneath.

It is a beginner's site by reputation and by design. NSW Marine Parks names the Northern Nursery, alongside Hugo's Trench, as one of the two most regularly dived spots at the rocks, both good for beginners. Shallow does not mean quiet. Wobbegongs, octopus and cuttlefish are regulars, and through summer the Nursery is one of the places Sundive takes divers to swim with leopard sharks.

Julian Rocks are two small islands about 2.5 km off the Byron Bay coast, north of The Pass, inside Cape Byron Marine Park. The rocks sit in a sanctuary zone and are declared critical habitat for the grey nurse shark, so every species is protected and fishing is prohibited. NSW Marine Parks counts 19 separate dive sites around the rocks, and the Nursery sits on the sheltered western side. It doubles as the mooring hub, with four moorings for the dive boats. SDU's Julian Rocks dive site guide and Julian Rocks Marine Sanctuary overview cover the rocks as a whole, from the Bundjalung name to the full seasonal calendar, so this review stays with the Nursery itself.

Sundive puts the site at 6-12 m, so the whole dive sits comfortably inside Open Water limits. Descents usually follow the mooring line where possible, and the first impression is of how much life is packed into so little depth. Sundive describes the area as generally protected from swell and current, which makes the diving relaxed and leaves room to settle buoyancy before looking around properly. Two landmarks anchor the dive, one of them literally: a huge anchor, complete with its chain, now so overgrown it reads as part of the reef, and Split Bommie, a giant cracked rock that pulls in a crowd of fish. Around them, colourful tropical reef fish, lionfish, octopus and cuttlefish go about their business, wobbegongs lie camouflaged on the reef, and turtles drift through. Because the skipper chooses the entry and exit points on the day, the Nursery is often where a dive begins rather than all of it.

Leopard sharks are the headline act in the warmer months. Sundive describes the summer gathering at Julian Rocks as the largest known aggregation of Indo-Pacific leopard sharks in the world. The sharks prefer water above 23 °C, so they come and go through the season, and the operator's calendar has them departing in May. Sundive's Cape Byron Leopard Shark Project has photo-identified more than 600 individual leopard sharks at the rocks since 2003, one of the longest running photo-ID programs for the species, and the results show sharks returning to the site season after season. Turtles are the year-round constant: three species, green, hawksbill and loggerhead, are recorded at the rocks, and Byron Bay Dive Centre's Turtle School runs a permitted turtle research program that collects face photos from dives to identify individuals. Three species of wobbegong also live at Julian Rocks, and a newer project in the marine park is using diver photo-ID and acoustic tags to study how they use the reef. The winter grey nurse sharks are a different story. Sundive's site notes place them in the trenches and sand channels, at Hugo's Trench and around the Cod Hole, rather than in the shallow Nursery. Reef manta rays visit the rocks in summer too, though the operator's notes mention them at the Needles on the southern end, Hugo's Trench and the Cod Hole rather than the Nursery.

Visibility is the great unknown at Julian Rocks. Sundive puts the average at around 8 m, with a typical range of 5-20 m, and notes that it shifts with the currents, day to day and even between dives on the same day. Water temperature follows a clear pattern: about 21-26 °C from December through autumn, 18-21 °C in winter, when it can dip to 17 °C, and 18-23 °C through spring. A 5 mm full suit is the sensible choice from June to November, while a 3 mm or 5 mm suit covers the summer months depending on how long the diver plans to stay down. The Nursery's shelter is relative. Julian Rocks is an open ocean site, and Sundive is clear that swell, current, surge, cold water and wind can all turn up, and that divers need the fitness and confidence to handle them. Boats launch through the surf, the ride can be bumpy, and the operator recommends seasickness medication even on days that look flat, because residual swell is often bigger than it appears. For leopard sharks, summer is the season; for turtles, wobbegongs and reef fish, any month works.

The Nursery rewards slow diving. The overgrown anchor and chain make a natural frame for wide-angle shots, Split Bommie rewards a slow lap, and octopus and cuttlefish give macro shooters plenty to work with. Snorkellers use the most protected areas of the rocks, the Nursery included, so expect company on the surface on busy days. Divers carrying a camera can also contribute: leopard shark and turtle photos can feed into the local photo-ID projects, and Sundive asks for no-touch diving throughout. One thing the Nursery does not offer is night diving. The national grey nurse shark code of conduct prohibits night dives at critical habitat sites, and Julian Rocks is one of them.

It would be easy to treat the Nursery as a warm-up. Instead it takes the energy of an open ocean site and folds it into a shallow, forgiving patch of reef where a turtle, a resting wobbegong and, in summer, a leopard shark can all turn up inside twelve metres. Even divers bound for the deeper sites have good reason to slow down here, because the fish are thick and the anchor is still there, slowly becoming reef.

Site Access and Logistics

The Nursery is a boat dive only, with entry by backward roll from the boat and descent down the mooring line where possible. Sundive Byron Bay meets divers at its shop on Middleton Street, launches through the surf and reaches the rocks in about five minutes, returning to the shop between dives. There is no customer parking at Sundive; metered street parking is available on Middleton Street, with free parking further out. Byron Bay Dive Centre, part of the Turtle School business, meets at Byron Plaza on Jonson Street and departs from The Pass, with a minimum age of 12. Blue Bay Divers runs double dive trips from the Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour, about 15 minutes by boat, with free parking opposite the boat.

Sundive and Byron Bay Dive Centre both require a minimum of Open Water certification or equivalent. Sundive asks holders of lower certifications such as PADI Scuba Diver to book a private guide, and requires a refresher for anyone who has not dived in two years. Bring proof of certification on the day. The Nursery's shelter and depth make it the natural first dive for newly certified Open Water divers.

Sources

- Sundive Byron Bay: The Dive Site, Nguthungulli Julian Rocks - Sundive Byron Bay: Julian Rocks by month - Sundive Byron Bay: Sundive Research and the Cape Byron Leopard Shark Project - NSW DPIRD: Cape Byron Marine Park, SCUBA diving and snorkelling - NSW DPIRD: Fishing and diving rules at grey nurse shark aggregation sites - Dive Plan It: Julian Rocks dive sites

Header photo: A leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) at Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, from iNaturalist, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.