Planula Divers Retreat

Planula Divers Retreat offers beautiful bed & breakfast style accommodation and total relaxation in lush tropical gardens set on over 50 acres. It feels like a remote oasis, yet Planula is just over three kilometers from the center of Byron Bay.

Unwind on the extensive decks around the house overlooking the frog pond and enjoy the lush gardens. How about listening to the birds and frogs over a BBQ at night?

Many different frog species share their habitat around the ponds with numerous water dragons. Other wildlife seen around Planula includes bandicoots, swamp wallabies, echidnas, possums and plenty of birds. There have even been koala sightings at the back of the property!

Inside you can enjoy the large collection of music and games or simply relax with a good book in the spacious guest lounge under cathedral ceilings.

Extensive continental breakfasts are included with all stays, served with fresh fruit, yoghurts, a range of cereals, and variety of bread, fruit juice, tea and plunger coffee as well as the newspaper of the day. At night you can sample the local cuisine in one of the many fantastic restaurants in Byron. Alternatively, stay at home and make use of the outdoor BBQ area or the full guest kitchen.

Beach towels, beach chairs & umbrellas, body boards are all free of charge.

Planula Divers Retreat has five modern decorated rooms all with wifi, ceiling fans, hairdryer and newspaper. All rooms look out onto the beautiful gardens.

Garden Suites are large rooms with a separate entrance and ensuite bathroom, overlooking the gardens. This room can be set up with a King, 2 singles or as a triple.

The beautiful Queen Ensuite rooms have ensuite bathrooms, overlooking the gardens and the Queen Spa room had a lush double spa with magnificent views.

Planula Divers Retreat is equipped with everything a diver needs and more. On site you will find gear washing and drying areas, safe equipment storage cage, an extensive reference library of identification books, literature on marine biology & diving locations plus a large collection of dive DVDs. Digital underwater camera hire is available and even the opportunity to try out some accessories like macro or wide angle lenses.

Most diving happens at Julian Rocks Marine Reserve, which is now part of the recently established Cape Byron Marine Park. Dive sites are only a few minutes boat ride from Main Beach in Byron Bay, the dive center is about 3km from Planula Retreat.

With water temperatures and currents changing throughout the year there are many seasonal visitors. Winter brings ferocious looking grey nurse sharks, spring the colorful blue tangs, summer schools of big-eye trevally and spotted leopard sharks. Summer into fall the manta rays come.

Year round residents include different species of wobbegong sharks, turtles, cuttlefish, schools of white spotted eagle rays, egg-cowry shells, moray eels, banner fish, giant guitar fish and shovel-nose rays. Sometimes there are so many fish around, you can hardly see where you are going. Not to mention all sessile animals (attached to substrate) like tunicates, colorful sponges, both hard and soft corals, giving you the feeling you are floating through some beautifully landscaped underwater garden.

The Rock also forms a home for rare species such as the leaf scorpion fish, the pineapple fish with bioluminescent organs under its eyes, the shy blue devil fish, white banded anemone fish and a species of nudibranch previously thought not present in Australian waters.