Eddystone Rock is a granite reef system off Eddystone Point, rated 6 out of 10 by the Marine Life Network guide. It has shallow, wave-swept ledges and weed gardens in 6-15 m, with banded morwong, leatherjackets, trumpeter, long-snouted boarfish, crayfish and abalone. The guide notes that it has been heavily fished in the past, is exposed to easterly weather, and that bull kelp is a hazard - it can entangle divers and hide the reef in surge. It is usually dived as a boat dive paired with the more sheltered cove at the Eddystone boat ramp or with Picnic Rocks further north. Treat the depths, positions and conditions given here as a starting point, and confirm them with local divers and a depth sounder before committing to a dive.

The far north-east corner of Tasmania, from Eddystone Point to Cape Portland and Swan Island, is one of the most remote stretches of the state's coast. Roads north of St Helens and around Gladstone are partly gravel, the nearest shops are at Gladstone, Derby or Bridport, and there are no dive services at all. The Marine Life Network guide, written from the experience of Launceston divers, is still the only detailed published account of most of these sites.

Where Bass Strait meets the Tasman Sea around Cape Portland and the Swan Island group, tidal streams run hard, and the guide repeatedly stresses slack water, safety lines and experienced boat handlers for the wreck sites. The Royal Hobart Hospital chamber is five hours or more away by road, so any diving here should be conservative and planned with an evacuation route in mind.

Eddystone Point is at the northern end of the Bay of Fires, about 1 hr 15 min from St Helens via the gravel Ansons Bay Road or 40 km from Gladstone via the Eddystone Point Road (partly gravel), and about 2 hr 45 min from Launceston. The lighthouse reserve has a small gulch used as a boat 'ramp' for launching small boats. Eddystone Rock is a short run (5-10 minutes) from the gulch.

Keep clear of breaking water over the ledges. There are no marinas or fuel on this coast apart from the towns named, so carry spare fuel, a VHF radio and an EPIRB, leave a trip plan ashore, and check MAST boating advice; many north-coast ramps are shallow at low tide, and a 4WD tow vehicle is a real advantage.

Eddystone Point faces east into the Tasman Sea and is exposed to any easterly or north-easterly swell and the summer sea breeze. Westerly and south-westerly winds give the calmest conditions. After rough weather or plankton blooms visibility can be poor.

The rock is fully exposed to easterly weather. Use the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast for the North East Coast and Banks Strait, and check tide times for the nearest standard port before planning the run.

Drop on the lee side of the rock, explore the weed gardens and ledges at 8-15 m and avoid the shallow wave-swept tops. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.

No commercial operator. Dived occasionally by Launceston clubs and Tasmanian Divers (Launceston) groups, and by private boats and cray divers. Remote - full self-sufficiency required.