New South Wales

City of Randwick

Australia

SS Kelloe was a iron hulled collier. It sunk 12 May 1902. This is a very good deep dive!

The SS Kelloe lies about 1.25 kilometres off the Sydney suburb of Little Bay.

Little Bay

SS Kelloe

MV Malabar

You can successfully dive this site from Shore. Just follow the rocks out to the headland and look for the two rusting steel (rio) bars sticking up in the sandstone rock formation near the water line.  Site update: I just dived this site on the weekend and the two steel bars are no longer there.  So look for the huge flat headland where the fisho's go and enter the water from the flat rock just north of that.  This will be covered in seaweed, juts out into the ocean and at the northern end it curves back into the headland in a scollop.  You enter the site at this point heading east away from the shore. You can dive here and stay up on the rocky shelf above 8m till you reach the drop off. At the drop off, don't descend straight away...move off eastward, to find Grey Nurse sharks swimming along the bottom. They are normally associated with a small cave in the area. Once you see them swim out over the top of them (so as to not scare them away) before dropping down to 17m and watching them from the bottom, east of their location. This plan will have them penned in against the wall/cave. When ready, you can move off and head North to follow the reef system back in towards the beach area and exit on the sand. Enjoy!

South of Maroubra bay.

Magic Point

Perfect dive site for for either day or night diving, in almost all weather! The western side (right-hand side as you enter the island) is the most sheltered part, and is diveable virtually at any time. Visibility can be very poor, it has good macro life, with seahorses. It can be crowded with scuba divers, particularly on weekends. The eastern-side is more exposed. You can circle the whole island if you have a large tank and/or you are good at air. There is a wall with lots of interesting sponges, nudibranches and other sea life about 100m to the south. You can dive from the shore if you are good at air, but it's best to dive from a boat. Attempt the dive at the south wall only at high tide, there are very strong tidal currents there.

Bare Island is on the N side of Botany Bay. You can dive all around the island!

Bare Island

The SS Woniora was a collier. It sunk 28 October 1882.
Vessel size: 42m long x 6m wide, displacement: 226 tons.

It's a deep wreck, ONLY for very experienced diver!



The wreck is located at the centre of the entrance to Botany Bay.

SS Woniora

This is for experienced divers. Dive this site on the incoming tide. You have to leap off a rock into the water, but this is not the problem... If you choose to return to the entry point and NOT dive all the way round to the Steps site then you will have to exit after your dive  at the same rock, which can be a problem if you dive to late on the tide and it goes out while you are submerged.  Alternatively, you can exit from The Steps, only 100 meters away - as the crow flies, some 400 meters diving wise - from The Leap. 

Kurnell National Park. The dive site is located after about 2 kilometres after entering the national park. You should see a small informal parking area on the right side of the road as you head up a significant hill. This is after you pass the Steps Site on the left.  You will see newly painted car spaces and a Zebra pedestrian crossing painted on the raod surface as well.  Its on the cleft of a corner so care needs to be taken when leaving the area and backing away from the car park. Once parked, cross the road using the zebra crossing and follow the small tack out to the east heading to the coastal shoreline.  You should find a cliff walk, denoted by the stairs now made available that fishermen use down the side of the cliff face.  Use this to access the site.  It's not too difficult a walk.  I have taken many novice divers down here.  Some tollerance to heights is required though. At the base of the cliff walk you will need to be careful of black - dark green slime, which looks dry but isn't on the rocks as it is very slippery.  Walk to cliff edge and perform all buddy checks.  Then do a giant stride into the ocean.  You need to decide before hand whether you are diving from the Leap to the Steps, or whether you are just going to dive the Leap area and come back to you start point.  If you wish to take this second option, you will need to start you dive an hour BEFORE the top of the tide. This way there will be plenty of high tide to lift you up onto the rock when you wish to get out at the end of an hours dive - make it 1:30 hour before the top of the tide.  If your diving from the Leap to the Steps, then you plan to do this dive 2 hours before the top of the tide, so as to gain maximum benefit of the tidal 'push' into the bay.  This way you don't have to swim much at all.  

Firstly, descend and then head east to great wall which drops down to the sand at 22-24 meters.  Once here, turn left and head back into the bay - North west depending on air consumption, you may need to come up from the bottom and stay at 15 meters to help use less as you dive around the coast.  Or you may have to completely cut the corner and rise up to 6-7 meters and come into the shallows to get all the way round the corner and make it to the Steps exit.  You'll know you are back at the Steps when you are on the sandy reef line when your depth reaches 8 meters.  The first few times you may need to surface first to find out where you are in relation to the Steps Exit area.  This is typically where the fisho's hang out at the Steps site.

The Leap

Weedy sea dragons, giant cuttlefish, blue groper, eagle rays, octopus, moray eel, lion fish, Port Jackson shark, sea pen, numb ray, nudibranch, yellowtail, cat fish.

The Steps is located in the Kurnell Botany Bay National Park. It costs $7.00 for a day-pass to enter the national park.

The Steps

You should find many divers here on weekends.  seek out their knowledge prior to diving. Also check the tides before the dive as the tidal currents are strong. Aim at diving at high tide.

The dive has a variety of fixed life (sponges and ascidians). There are numerous nudibranches and you will likely find weedy sea dragons. The sea dragons may be difficult to spot as they are usually by the kelp area.

Drive into the Botany Bay National Park and take the turn into the Visitor's car park (0.8 Km from park entrance).  Pass the visitor's Centre. You will find a parking area along the road about 300 metres after rejoining the main road, usually with other fellow divers if on weekend. Gear up at the parking area and walk down the steps until reaching the shore. The entry point is about 50 metres following the shore on the left, just after passing a small rock overhang. Use the same spot for exit.

Inscription Point is also known as Captain Cook's Landing Place.

Inscription Point

You should find many divers here on weekends.  seek out their knowledge prior to diving.

Drive into the Botany Bay National Park and take the turn into the Visitor's car park (0.8 Km from park entrance).  Pass the visitor's Centre and follow the road round (200meters) to the final car park on the left before you rejoin the main road.  Turn into this car park. Covered picnic areas are easily visible from the road along with large grassed areas (hectares in size) so you'll know that you are in the right area.  You access the dives site by walking towards the waters edge to the north. This is easiest done by following the natural boundary of the grassed areas and the National park's great bush area to the east towards the shoreline.  You will soon see the trail in the above photo leading to the shoreline and yes there are some steps here to facilitate access to the water.  However, these are very old and I would not use them to get down the small cliff (1meter high).  You can find alternative access nearby.  The shoreline is exposed on days with big surf so be careful picking days when you dive here.  Also, check the tides as the tidal currents are strong. Aim at diving at high tide.

You should see hundreds of Sea dragons at this site, mainly near to the kelp and sand areas.  They can be difficult to see and it is best if you slow the dive right down and wait for them to move about. Good dive.

The monuments

It's a very good place to meet Port Jackson sharks.

After entering the Kurnell National Park, travel along the main park road towards Cape Solander (Visitor centre, Sutherland Point). After 1,5km into the park you will see a old access road to the parking area (Yena parking area) on the left.  This road has now been closed to stop rock fishermen from slipping off the rocks and being killed. So you will need to park at the top of the road and don gear here at the gate and walk to the site some 350 meters.

In the middle of the parking area, there is a trail that leads down to the cliff face.  You can see the waters edge and walking trail from the top of the hill.  Access the site at the marker on the map via the slopping rock covered with barnacles.  You can dive this area to the north with interesting features in the shallows.  Some divers prefer to enter from the point to the north of the slight headland some 100 meters from the point of the marker.  Diving to the directly to the east will take you down to 27 meters at the sand, but first, over a rocky grotto full of Port Jackson sharks in winter.  There is an offshore wall out on the sand and another big wall to the south, but its a long swim, interesting rock formations though. Your unlikely to see Sea Dragons here.  If you wish to see them, go to "The Leap", "Inscription Point" or the "Steps" dive sites nearby.  Diving to the south and close to shore you will find a number of caves and boulders in <9meters of water which can hide many Port Jackson sharks and Grouper and the other pelagic species.

Yena Gap is also known as Port Jacksons' galore.

Yena Gap

The dangers suggested above don't cover many available so here it is here: - Waves, Surge and the inevitable exit.

Drive south to the Botany Bay National Park and pay the entrance fee. Then follow the road around to the Yena Gap area on the dirt road.  The area maybe closed so call first if coming from Sydney City. Drive down to the parking area and gear up. Walk down the cliff face where possible to the shoreline. Enter the water and head south and follow the boulder and wall line around 6m. Keep a close eye out for caves and swim-throughs.  Many Port Jackson Sharks here.  Only do this dive when the seas are flat as it's a bugger to get out again if they aren't!!!

Yena Extension is also known as Yena Gap 2.

SS Kelloe

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at SS Kelloe