Bass Point Bommie is a reef pinnacle that rises from the channel between Bass Point and Bass Point Island to within a few metres of the surface. The channel on the Bass Point side is 23–25 m deep, the saddle between the bommie and the island is only 5–8 m, and the southern face drops as a sheer wall in places, with a ledge at 15–18 m in others. North of the bommie the wall splits into two arms, one running north-east and the other wrapping around the pinnacle.

That structure concentrates fish in impressive numbers. Huge schools of yellowtail, seapike, one-spot pullers and nannygai hang off the walls, and large bream, luderick and blackfish work the shallower rock. Big rays, bull rays and eagle rays cruise the channel, boarfish tuck under the ledges, and in late summer tropical visitors such as Moorish idols appear. The walls carry sponges and encrusting growth typical of Bass Point's outer reefs.

The dive is flexible: it can be done as a deeper wall dive along the southern face or as a shallower circuit of the pinnacle, and the channel provides an easy navigation reference. The one serious caution is the top of the bommie, which breaks even in slight seas. Divers need to know where it is at all times and avoid surfacing near it, where they can be caught and rolled by a wave. Plan the ascent on the anchor line or in the sheltered water on the western side. In small swell and good visibility it is one of the most fish-rich dives in the Illawarra.

Launch from the Shellharbour Marina boat ramp (Shellharbour Village; trailer parking and toilets), about 105 km and 1.5 hours south of central Sydney. Head east out of the harbour and around Bass Point; the bommie is about 4 km from the ramp between Bass Point and Bass Point Island. Anchor on the western side at 34° 35.831' S 150° 54.300' E, keeping well clear of the top, which breaks even in slight seas.

Bass Point juts well out to sea south of Shellharbour, so its outer reefs take swell from the north-east through to the south. Boat dives here want a swell under about 1.5 m and moderate winds; in a south-easterly the outer sites become rough very quickly, and the short run from Shellharbour Marina means operators can come back in if conditions build. Westerly winds in late autumn and winter give the best flat seas and clearest water, often 15–20 m.

Visibility drops after big seas stir the sand and after heavy rain. The bommie top breaks in even slight seas, so it needs a genuinely small swell; anchor away from the breaking area.

Circle the bommie, then follow its eastern wall south onto the sheer southern face and its ledge at 15–18 m. Continue along the wall where it splits – one arm to the north-east, one skirting the bommie – and return west over the ridge or by the outward route, finishing shallow on the bommie flanks well away from the breaking top.

Shellharbour Scuba and Photography Centre runs boat dives around Bass Point from Shellharbour Marina when numbers allow; United Divers (Fairy Meadow) and Sydney-based operators such as Expedition Dive run occasional charters; most other visits are private and club boats.