An underwater zoo in a good way The shop is easy to find by ferry or Uber. They have great rental gear. As for the dive - - two tanks shore dive and we had a group of four with Matt as our guide. And Matt was great. He told us what we would see - pointed everything out as we dove - and was very attentive to the group. We saw exactly what he said - large cuttlefish, blue grouper, octopus, stone fish, yellowtail scad and woebegone sharks to name a few. The water was a bit cold, but we had wetsuits.

Cuttlefish and Turtles I went on the Snorkel tour with Manly Dive Centre and Matt was my guide. It was a fabulous afternoon - Matt knows the area extremely well and is passionate about the ocean and its inhabitants. I saw an amazing amount - including several cuttlefish - a first for me - an utter joy to be in the ocean with a lovely guide and the beauty of Shelly Beach and the sea - thanks Matt

Shelly Beach Shore Dive is the most beginner friendly! If you're looking for a gentle entry to Sydney waters, I highly recommend Dive Centre Manly's Shelly Beach shore dive. I was Open Water certified many years ago, and frankly, had shifted back to snorkeling until a friend said they were coming to Australia and going diving. I think this friend is in her eighties, and I thought, well, if she's up for it, maybe I should reActivate my certification and we can do some diving in Sydney. I'll be honest, though my reActivation dive went well (a different dive shop), subsequent dives "suitable for beginners" were pretty rough - entry through surf; heavy surge; climbing over rocks to get into the water; or carrying heavy gear down several flights of stairs. That's just what most of Sydney dive spots seem to be like. NONE OF THAT at Shelly Beach ! Shelly Beach is a well-protected cove, and Dive Centre Manly are the folks to safely help you enjoy the huge range of sea life that is resident or visits this location. If you need full gear rental (or hire, I guess is what the Aussies say), they will set you up. We were ready to head to the water, and "where's my snorkel?!" No worries - El had an extra, and some complimentary anti-fog. Most of the "beginner friendly" dives I went on with another shop, I would not recommend for my eighty year-old friend. I had been snorkeling from Shelly Beach, but it slipped off my radar as a dive spot. Thanks to Dive Centre Manly for putting it back on my radar as a protected cove that's probably the best spot near Sydney for when you want calmer conditions to acclimate to some new gear or when older or less experienced friends visit Sydney and want to make some bubbles. Not that they only cater to the more timid - their schedule includes many dive sites, but Shelly Beach is exactly what I was looking for. I even did a second trip using public transit to get there, and the ride over on the ferry was quite pleasant.

A great place to Scuba Dive. As an old 'been around' diver and a partner that is fairly new, I can truly say that Dive Centre Manly is one of the best run operations I have experienced. A genuinely safe and enjoyable day of diving was had by myself and I believe everyone else there.
Elle and Mike were impeccable in there roles on the day, making it a memorable day out.
The Centre itself is a well organised Dive business that caters well for the customer.
Craig & Fiona

Great experience, patient instructor. I booked an introduction to snorkelling for our daughter who has Down Syndrome in preparation for a tropical holiday. The instructor, Tommy was patient and careful to listen and see what was needed. He knew a to about the fish at Shelley beach and we both loved the experience and our daughter is now confident and looking forward to our holiday.

Great experience with Mat at Shelly Beach We dived with Mat from Manly Dive Centre at Shelly Beach and had a lovely experience.

Mat was friendly, professional, and made us feel comfortable from the beginning. He was attentive underwater, easy to dive with, and helped make the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. Shelly Beach is such a lovely spot, and having a great guide made it even better.

Thank you, Mat, for looking after me so well. I really appreciated it and would happily recommend Manly Dive Centre to anyone looking to dive in the area.

Best dive shop Diving with Dive Centre Manly is always a great experience whether it's a photography or night five or Five Against Debris.
Expert five instructors and guides, hire equipment always in good condition, and very well equipped shops.
They also have some great travel options to destinations inside Australia and overseas.

Wondrous ! We had the best Shelley Beach dive yesterday with DCM. Al and Millie were our guides: friendly, good tips and really helpful. It was a beautiful day out and the best browsing among the beach left side sea life ever !

More fun at Cabbage Tree Did a couple of shore dives with Dive Centre Manly last week and had a fantastic time (again). The Cabbage Tree Bay Marine Reserve has an abundance of marine life - turtles, grouper, rays, wobbegong. And my first actual viewing of the submerged motorcycle in the bay (not counting photos). Millie guided our group. She's very knowledgeable and helpful, and gave us a very detailed briefing. Great day!

Throughly enjoyed Staff couldn’t be more helpful, really smooth experience from start to finish. Shelly beach was a great place to do a shore dive with plenty of marine life to see. Millie was the instructor for the two dives, who was faultless.

Beginner Diver I’m a beginner diver and felt very comfortable in the water and in the hands of the staff. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Overall it was a great experience

Diving with care A fantastic dive for the end of Northern Beaches Ocean week. This dive is not easily done and needs great organisation skills which were put into practise above and beyond. The DCM crew were amazing and the dive was brilliant. Grey Nurse sharks are a protected species and diving with them is a privilege, the brief with the sharks was informative and pointed out how to interact and not upset the sharks. Everyone there had a great experience as the rules were followed. Thank you.

Dive with DCM any day! I have known DCM for over a year, having learned my Open Water and Advanced courses through them. Next course with DCM - Rescue. I have travelled with them to dive sites locally and internationally. They continue to excel above and beyond in all ways you'd come to expect. Communication is top notch, friendly and informative crew, in and out of the water. Organisation of local and international trips again, 5 star. Company, most excellent and fun people. Most importantly, I feel safe with each of their instructors / dive masters / guides. I would dive again with them any day, and trust my safety with them. A shout out to Cameron who led the recent trip to Forster, thanks for making it a great experience and for your help and advice. Your knowledge, attentiveness, skill and approachability made me feel supported and reassured, and showed me how to overcome some issues I had. Thanks!!

Fabulous crew I can't speak highly enough of all the crew I met on my recent guided dives. Equipment hire was first rate, knowledge and care was above and beyond and above all I felt safe and looked after whilst on the dives. If you're a resident of Sydney visit these guys often, if you're a visitor to Sydney put a visit to them on your holiday list. Amazing.

Amazing I had an incredible experience with Manly Dive Shop! The whole team is absolutely amazing – super friendly, attentive, and always making sure you feel comfortable and taken care of. The vibe at the shop is really relaxed and chilled, which instantly puts you at ease.

I completed both my refresher course and a double shore dive there. The dive at Shelly Beach was unforgettable. The marine life was so abundant – I couldn’t believe how much we saw! A huge shoutout to dive instructors Cam and Fletcher, who were both fantastic. They made both of my dives fun, safe, and just overall awesome.

Can’t recommend this place enough – can’t wait to come back for more!

Excellent service & experience. Luke and the team are great. Luke and the team were all wonderful: friendly, knowledgeable and I felt safe the whole time. And the sea-life at Shelley beach is amazing. The gear was all high quality and I was helped at every stage to gear-up. Highly recommended.

Shelly Beach guided dives We did a double guided shore dive at Shelly Beach. Everything was really professionally organised, friendly and punctual. Brogan was a safety conscious and diligent diver master and guided us all really thoughtfully! Thank you

Amazing experience with Dive Ce I recently completed an open water diving training session with the patient, understanding, and highly supportive instructor, Pep. Despite a few moments when my anxiety overwhelmed me and I hesitated to continue the course, Pep’s encouragement and patience helped me find the mental and physical strength to push through. I highly recommend Pep and this dive centre. This course was not only a significant learning experience for scuba diving but also for personal growth and self-discovery.