The Steps

The Steps is widely considered the standout dive site at Kurnell, sitting within Kamay Botany Bay National Park about an hour south of Sydney CBD. It earns its name honestly — to reach the water you'll descend a long, steep staircase carved into the cliff face, gear and all. It's a small price to pay for what waits below.

Underwater World

The Steps is best known as one of the most reliable places in Australia to find weedy seadragons — the site is so thick with them that it's often called the Home of the Weedy Seadragon. The dive opens onto a sandline at around 12 metres, with kelp-draped boulders and sponge-covered rock shelves spreading out to the east and west. Heading east past the kelp takes you through gradually deepening terrain rich with seadragons and macro life, while heading west reveals interesting boulders, swim-throughs and a more sheltered landscape.

The site also produces pygmy pipehorses, nudibranchs, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, giant cuttlefish, bull rays, moray eels, blue gropers and occasional visiting schools of kingfish. Slow down, look carefully into the kelp fronds, and you'll be rewarded with some of the finest macro life Sydney has to offer.

Conditions & Access

The stairs are the main challenge — long, steep and unforgiving with full gear on, particularly after a dive. Tidal current can be strong, as the site faces northeast and is exposed to the flow in and out of Botany Bay; dive on slack water or an incoming tide. Swell can close the entry point entirely. It is recommended to dive The Steps at slack time — around 30 minutes before high tide. Check wind and wave forecasts before you go; the site is well protected from southerly winds, but if there's wind from any other direction, especially from the north, and/or waves are higher than 1 metre, look for an alternative site.

An SMB is essential due to boat traffic. Winter delivers the best visibility, often dramatically better than summer. Visibility often reaches in excess of 15 metres on a good day, letting you fully appreciate the kelp gardens and colourful sponge walls. Park on Cape Solander Drive just past the Kurnell Visitors Centre — where the road bends you'll see a large carpark. Note this is a national park, and a daily parking fee applies.

Recommended ISC Certifications

The Steps is accessible to Open Water–certified divers, but conditions here reward preparation. Here's what we recommend:

ISC Open Water Diver — The ISC Open Water Diver certification is the best way to begin your lifelong adventure as a certified open water diver, and is the minimum level required for The Steps. Depths of 10–18 m sit comfortably within the Open Water envelope.

ISC Drift Diver — Dive on an incoming tide and you can let the current carry you gently east through the seadragon territory and use your remaining air drifting back. The ISC Drift Diver course covers key topics such as underwater buoy deployment, using a reel and line, and buoyancy control — all directly applicable to managing The Steps' tidal flow safely.

ISC Underwater Photography — With weedy seadragons, pygmy pipehorses and nudibranchs at every turn, a photography specialty will help you capture the moment without disturbing the kelp or your subjects' camouflage.

Not yet certified? Talk to us about our ISC Open Water Diver course — Sydney's best macro diving will be waiting for you.