New South Wales has one of the most varied and interesting coastlines for scuba divers, from temperate water marine life in the south, to tropical species at Byron Bay near the Queensland border. A superb climate and the largest of Australia's state populations has ensured a large diving fraternity with well appointed dive shops and dive tour operators spaced along the 2,000km coastline. There are over 60 dive shops in NSW with just less than half of these in the Sydney to Newcastle region.