Spearfishing Tasmania
Tasmania is cold, clear, kelp-heavy diving. The D'Entrecasteaux and Bruny shores, the Tasman Peninsula walls and the east coast at Bicheno, with crayfish and abalone as the local prize.
Hobart's own water is the Derwent and D'Entrecasteaux - Blackmans Bay, Taroona, Opossum Bay and Sandy Bay in 2-11 m, sheltered and low to moderate visibility. The real diving is out: Pirates Bay and the Blowhole, Fortescue Bay and Waterfall Bay on the Tasman Peninsula (5-20 m of kelp wall and sea cave), Adventure Bay, Cloudy Bay and Fluted Cape on Bruny, Denison Beach north of Bicheno, and the north coast at Burnie and Devonport where dolerite headlands close the beaches. Species: crayfish and abalone first, then bastard and striped trumpeter, banded morwong, bluethroat wrasse, butterfly perch and flathead.
The coast faces mostly east and north-east with bad sectors from about 10-180 degrees depending on the town, and this is Southern Ocean water - swell reaches Hobart in every month. Summer and early autumn are the warmest and clearest, and the sheltered corners (Pirates Bay's north-west corner, Adventure Bay, Blackmans Bay) are what keep the trip alive when the open coast is up. Rock lobster seasons are strict and move: outside the East Coast Stock Rebuilding Zone the fishery opened 1 November 2025, with the Eastern Region closing 1 May 2026 and Western Region females closing 1 May and males 1 September 2026; the ECSRZ opened 6 December 2025.
Rules: NRE Tas Wild Fisheries. A licence is required only for listed fisheries such as rock lobster and abalone. Hand spears, spearguns and gaffs may be used for squid, shark, octopus and any scalefish except bream and boarfish - both of those are no-spear. Taking rock lobster or abalone with a spear or gaff is prohibited. Spears may not be used in the Mersey, Leven and Inglis rivers other than to spear flounder. Marine reserves and named waters are closed to spears. Unlike NSW, Queensland and South Australia, Tasmania has no statewide SCUBA ban - NRE Tas expressly permits taking rock lobster on SCUBA, surface air or snorkel, by gloved hand only. See https://www.fishing.tas.gov.au/. Safety, conditionally: cold water and kelp, exposed cape entries at Cape Bruny and Fluted Cape, and a moderate white-shark rating across the state in our data.
Top spots
| Spot | Nearest city | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Bellerive Beach | Hobart / D'Entrecasteaux | Beach ground where it turns to rock and weed, 2–8 m |
| Carnarvon Bay | Eaglehawk Neck / Tasman | A bay out of the swell |
| Great Bay | Bruny Island | Sheltered water, sand with weed and scattered rock, 2–7 m |
| Parsonage Point | Burnie | The rock immediately west of Burnie's West Beach, 150 m from town and… |
| Mersey Bluff | Devonport (Tasmania) | The dolerite headland that closes Devonport's beach front, taken 85 m… |
| Fourth Sister (Three Sisters reef) | Ulverstone | A submerged continuation of the Three Sisters rocks, reached by boat:… |
Reserves & no-take zones
- Tinderbox Marine Nature Reserve — Spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
- Taroona Waters Buffer — Spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
- Maria Island Marine Nature Reserve - No Fishing Zone — Spearfishing banned: Spearfishing banned in this protected marine zone.
Cities in this region
- Hobart / D'Entrecasteaux
- Eaglehawk Neck / Tasman
- Bicheno / St Helens
- Bruny Island
- Burnie
- Devonport (Tasmania)
- Ulverstone
- George Town
- Port Sorell
- Beauty Point
- Swansea
- Currie
- Dover
- Coles Bay
- Dodges Ferry
- Penguin
- Sorell
- Snug
- Bridport
- Scamander
- Dunalley
- Whitemark
- Alonnah
- Ansons Bay
- Arthur River
- Beechford
- Binalong Bay
- Blue Rocks
- Boobyalla
- Cape Barren Island
- Cape Portland
- Couta Rocks
- Crayfish Creek
- Darlington
- Deviot
- Eddystone
- Emita
- Exeter
- Granville Harbour
- Grassy
- Hillwood
- Kettering
- Killiecrankie
- Lady Barron
- Leeka
- Loccota
- Loorana
- Lulworth
- Macquarie Heads
- Marrawah
- Mella
- Middleton
- Montagu
- Musselroe Bay
- Naracoopa
- Orford
- Palana
- Pearshape
- Recherche
- Rheban
- Rocky Cape
- Scopus
- Sea Elephant
- Smithton
- Stanley
- Stieglitz
- Strahan
- Surprise Bay
- Temma
- The Gardens
- Tomahawk
- Triabunna
- Trial Harbour
- Weymouth
- White Beach
- Wickham
- Wiltshire
- Woolnorth
- Yarra Creek
- Port Arthur
- Low Head
FAQ
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Tasmania?
Only for listed fisheries. General scalefish spearfishing needs no licence, but rock lobster and abalone do - and neither may be taken with a spear or gaff in any case.
What can and cannot be speared in Tasmania?
Hand spears, spearguns and gaffs may be used for squid, shark, octopus and any scalefish except bream and boarfish, which are explicitly no-spear. Rock lobster and abalone may not be taken with a spear or gaff at all - only by gloved hand.
Can you use SCUBA?
Tasmania sets no statewide SCUBA or hookah ban for spearfishing, unlike NSW, Queensland and South Australia. NRE Tas expressly permits taking rock lobster on SCUBA, surface-supplied air or snorkel, by gloved hand only. Marine reserves and named closed waters still apply.
When does Tasmania dive best?
Summer and early autumn for warmth and clarity. Swell reaches this coast every month, so the sheltered corners - Pirates Bay's north-west, Adventure Bay, Blackmans Bay - are what make a trip work when the open coast is up.
See also: Northern Territory