Colorado Pass is Fish Rock's dedicated current dive — a drift through a set of rock gutters and canyons on the north-eastern flank of the island, between the main rock and The Pinnacle, that only really works when the site's usual north-setting current has eased to a gentle push rather than its more typical strong flow. Divers enter near the Pinnacle mooring, drop to the sandy floor at around 30 metres and let the current carry them south through the pass, past large boulders that offer patches of shelter and black coral trees marking the swifter corners, before the reef edge drops away beyond 37 metres. The boat tracks the group's bubbles from the surface and the dive typically runs 15 to 25 minutes before divers reach the ridge that marks the turn-off toward the cave's deep entrance, where the group can either surface as a drift pick-up or work into the lee of the rock to finish the dive on shallower ground.

Because the current here is unpredictable and often too strong to dive safely — by local estimate it is only manageable around a fifth of the time — Colorado Pass is not a default stop on every Fish Rock trip; skippers assess it on the day and it is usually saved for divers who specifically want a fast, adrenaline drift rather than a leisurely reef look. When conditions align, though, it delivers exactly what the name promises: schools of luderick, silver sweep and silver drummer streaming past in the current, grey nurse sharks using the gutters as a thoroughfare rather than a resting spot, and the sensation of flying along a canyon wall rather than swimming it. This is a dive for experienced, current-savvy divers with good buoyancy and a group used to drift procedures, not a site to attempt on a first Fish Rock outing or without a briefed pick-up plan, since being swept past the island into open water is a real possibility if the current is stronger than expected.

All Fish Rock sites are boat access only, departing from the boat ramp/marina at South West Rocks (Fish Rock Dive Centre and South West Rocks Dive Centre both operate from the town, 4 New Entrance Road area). The run out to Fish Rock, off Smoky Cape about 2 km offshore, takes roughly 15-25 minutes depending on the vessel and sea state. Boats moor directly on the site — there is a southern mooring near the cave/shark gutters and a northern mooring near The Pinnacle — so there is no surface swim; divers descend the mooring line straight onto the reef.

Double boat dive trips (two dives, roughly 5 hours total) run most days when weather allows; book ahead as Fish Rock is a signature Australian dive and trips fill, especially in the May-November grey nurse season.

Fish Rock sits in open ocean off Smoky Cape with no shelter, so trips are cancelled on any strong onshore swell or wind over about 20 knots; operators want under 1.5-2 m swell to run safely. The site is affected by a north-setting current for roughly 80% of the time, and it can run strong enough to make the cave and Pinnacle undiveable — the best conditions are the day after the current has dropped out or during a brief slack. Visibility is usually 15-30 m and can be exceptional (30-40 m) inside the cave itself; it drops after east coast lows and heavy rain runoff from the Macleay River.

Grey nurse sharks are present year-round but peak May-September, with leopard (zebra) sharks more likely February-April. Dived year-round; winter mornings before the sea breeze are usually calmest.

Enter north of The Pinnacle, descend to the sand at 30 m and cross the pass, then follow the gutters south as the boat tracks the group's bubbles. Turn at the obvious ridge below the cave's deep entrance and either surface as a drift or work up onto Fish Rock's sheltered southern side to finish on the shallower reef.

Effectively a deep drift dive; suits divers with SMB deployment skill and current diving experience. Not for open-water-level divers.

Fish Rock Dive Centre (South West Rocks) — double boat dives most days, year-round; South West Rocks Dive Centre — daily boat trips to Fish Rock.