Diving at Fish Rock Cave: My Favorite Dive Site in Australia

Fish Rock Cave, off South West Rocks in Australia, is my favorite dive. A cave through an underwater mountain, and a lot of animals on both sides of it. It is a long way from home. I still think about going back.

The cave

The cave runs about 125 metres (410 feet). The entrance sits around 24 metres (78 feet). It is one of the few places in Australia where you can swim a naturally formed ocean cave, and that is the whole appeal: you go in from open water, through the rock, and out the other side.

Inside, you are on a torch. Sponges and soft coral on the walls. Wobbegongs on the floor now and then. The chambers open and close as you move. Coming out into blue water again is the moment the dive turns around.

The animals

Grey nurse sharks hang around the entrance. They circle, and they are calmer than people expect. That is the image I kept: sharks outside, cave in front of you.

In and around the cave I also saw:

• Wobbegong sharks, flat against the rock.
• Schools of trevally, bullseyes, and kingfish along the walls.
• Moray eels in the holes, watching.
• Nudibranchs and other small stuff on the rough surfaces.

Cave plus sharks is the combination. Either one would have been a good dive. Together it became the one I measure others against.

Why it sits at the top

I have dived a lot of reefs. Fish Rock is different because the site changes while you are on it. Dark, then open. Tight, then a room. Sharks when you exit. Macro if you look at the walls. That is a lot of dive for one rock.

Australia is far. If I am in the country again, South West Rocks is the first place I am going.

---

Summary:
South West Rocks, New South Wales. A 125-metre cave starting at about 24 metres, grey nurse sharks at the entrance, wobbegongs, trevally, kingfish, morays, nudibranchs. Still the dive I would fly back for.