Julian Rocks North
Byron Bay · Australia
The northern face of Julian Rocks (Nguthungulli) drops steeply from 5 metres to about 22 metres and is where the tropical influence of the East Australian Current is most apparent. Leopard sharks and tawny nurse sharks rest on the sand below the wall in summer alongside wobegongs and shovel-nosed rays. This face sees more surge than the south side but also stronger fish aggregations, with large schools of yellowtail scad, trevally and fusiliers moving in columns around the pinnacle. Manta rays frequently cruise the north wall during their March to May transit.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 22 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
10 to 20 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
19 to 27°C
5mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Vis (m) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Spotted Wobbegong
Last confirmed Jun 21, 2026 · 51 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Bigeye Trevally
Last confirmed Mar 16, 2026 · 6 records
Very likely
Most dives
Giant Trevally
Last confirmed Jul 8, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Golden Trevally
Last confirmed Apr 19, 2025 · 1 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Yellowtail Scad
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Leopard Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Tawny Nurse Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Shovel-nosed Ray
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear