• Dive Level:

  Intermediate

• Best Months:

  January-December

• Accessed By:

  Shore

• Maximum Depth:

  25m

• Water Temperature:

  18°C - 22°C

• Currents:

  Weak

Description

Shiprock is an Aquatic reserve and thus is home to an abundance of aquatic flora and flora, and has a reputation as one of the best night dives in NSW. Angler fish, harlequin ghost pipefish, large moray eels and flatheads are commonly seen along the wall and over 100 species of fish have been sited in the diverse ecosystem.

The dive site is not known for good visibility and it can be as low as 3m after a storm; 5-15m is the normal range. This site can only be dove at slack tide - with high tide being the prefered time as visibility is usually better. The dive site is accessed

The entrance into the water can be found by walking down through the reserve situated at the end of Shiprock road. Simply sink down into about 3m of water and head out in an easterly direction. Swim out over sand for about 7 metres and then you will see the wall, drop over the wall into approx 15m of water.

From here there are two options, you can swim south to the wall or north/east to the large bommies.

The wall contains a small bubble cave inside the overhang - just big enough for two divers to swim into, and although there is an air pocket the air is toxic and should not be breathed in. The cave can be found by swimming along the wall as far as a very flat rock petruding from the wall near the start of the dive. When swimming long the wall and ontop of the wall there are lots of giant morray eels and smaller colourful fish.

North of the wall around the bommies is a thrives habitat of rare marine life - including angler fish blue grouper, dwarf pipehorses, goat fish, morwong, nudibranchs, port jackson sharks, sea horses, sponge crabs, velvetfish, white ear and wobbygong sharks.