South West Rocks, NSW
Just shy of 5 hours north of Sydney along the coast is the beautiful town of South West Rocks. This town is so pretty - but with a sad history. To learn about the original prisoners sent here you can visit the Trial Bay old jail (gaol), which makes for an interesting after diving experience, and is also a great place to look out for kangaroos. A beautiful beach to visit is Little Bay where there are some really cute kangaroos that sometimes come onto the sand - great for photo opportunities!
The diving here is the biggest draw for me though! A short 30minute boat drive away from the town is Fish Rock. I really love this dive site. You can spend the entire dive along the gutters towards or on the sand and you will not be disappointed. Usually there are resident Grey Nurse Sharks that you are likely to see, but you can also look for the resident turtles and wobbegong sharks. You should be able to spot some clownfish, nudibranchs, moray eels and big schools of fish. We have even found anglerfish at this site.
On the best days (often when there is strong current) you can spot bronze whaler sharks, hammerhead sharks and my friends have spotted bull sharks, great white sharks and whale sharks here!!! I am telling you - this site can deliver a lot on a good day!
I haven't even mentioned the cave yet!!! There is a cave at this site, known as the bubble cave which is technically a swim-through, but since it is over 100m in length and includes some sections where it is single file, going up chimney passages, and if you switch off your torch its pitch black I would say its the closest you will get to diving in a cave, without being a cave diver! Within the cave it is common to see a turtle or a bull ray, plenty of massive wobbegong sharks and massive lobsters. At the exit of the cave you get this beautiful blue colour as light starts to make its way through the cave opening and usually there are loads of Grey Nurse sharks. It is my favourite sight and often when I am trying to empty my brain I imagine coming through the cave into this opening. It is stunning!
The diving here is the biggest draw for me though! A short 30minute boat drive away from the town is Fish Rock. I really love this dive site. You can spend the entire dive along the gutters towards or on the sand and you will not be disappointed. Usually there are resident Grey Nurse Sharks that you are likely to see, but you can also look for the resident turtles and wobbegong sharks. You should be able to spot some clownfish, nudibranchs, moray eels and big schools of fish. We have even found anglerfish at this site.
On the best days (often when there is strong current) you can spot bronze whaler sharks, hammerhead sharks and my friends have spotted bull sharks, great white sharks and whale sharks here!!! I am telling you - this site can deliver a lot on a good day!
I haven't even mentioned the cave yet!!! There is a cave at this site, known as the bubble cave which is technically a swim-through, but since it is over 100m in length and includes some sections where it is single file, going up chimney passages, and if you switch off your torch its pitch black I would say its the closest you will get to diving in a cave, without being a cave diver! Within the cave it is common to see a turtle or a bull ray, plenty of massive wobbegong sharks and massive lobsters. At the exit of the cave you get this beautiful blue colour as light starts to make its way through the cave opening and usually there are loads of Grey Nurse sharks. It is my favourite sight and often when I am trying to empty my brain I imagine coming through the cave into this opening. It is stunning!
My favourite dive centre here is South West Rocks Dive Centre with their efficiency, lots of boat space, and friendly staff. Fish Rocks Dive Centre is also a great option with friendly staff too - really you cannot go wrong when diving in South West Rocks!!! You just need to hope the weather gods are on your side and don't give you more than 2m swell or more than 25km winds as it will become more likely for your dives to get cancelled. But then you have the option of some surfing instead, especially with the nearby Scotts Head surfing town!
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