What is the Tasman Sea?
The Tasman Sea is the stretch of the South Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand. It is about 2,000 kilometres wide and is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.
Abel Tasman sailed across the sea in 1642, reaching Tasmania and then New Zealand. The sea borders the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania on the Australian side.
Australians and New Zealanders often call the Tasman Sea the Ditch, and crossing it is described as crossing the Ditch. Lord Howe Island, an Australian World Heritage site, lies in the Tasman Sea about 600 kilometres from the NSW coast.
Rough waters
The Tasman Sea is known for strong winds and big swells. The East Australian Current carries warm water south along the Australian side, bringing tropical fish to Sydney's waters.
Flights across the Tasman between Sydney and Auckland take about three hours, and the route is one of the busiest international air routes in the region.
Did You Know?
Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea has the world's southernmost true coral reef.