Fish and Chips sits east of the gutter leading to the cave's deep entrance, on Fish Rock's northern side, and is reached by swimming south-east from the main shark gutter mooring along a wall or ridge line. En route divers cross the Blind Gutter, easily identified by a single huge black coral tree marking the spot, before the terrain opens into the huge boulders, sand gutters and low ridges that make up the site proper, running out to depths of 35 metres on its outer edge. The name reflects the sheer volume and density of fish here rather than any culinary connection: schools of yellowtail, silver sweep and ladder-finned pomfret pack the water column in numbers dense enough, on the best days, to reduce visibility to a few metres purely from the mass of fish moving past, and jewfish and kingfish cruise the margins looking for an opening.

Grey nurse sharks regularly patrol both the gutters and the more open ground here, and wobbegongs sit tucked among the boulders, making this as much a shark and fish-life site as it is a scenic one. The standard plan uses roughly half the available bottom time pushing east through the boulder field before turning back, either retracing the route through the Deep Entrance Gutter or taking a more southerly line back over deeper sand and rock to the mooring — a choice usually made on the day depending on current and remaining gas. One long-time local diver has called it one of the most remarkable fish-life dives anywhere, and while that is a big claim, the sheer scale of the schooling activity on a good day, layered over grey nurse sharks and a genuinely interesting boulder landscape, makes a strong case for it as an underrated stop on the Fish Rock circuit compared with the more famous cave and Pinnacle.

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.

Descend the main shark gutter mooring and swim south-east along the wall or ridge, crossing the Blind Gutter (marked by a large black coral tree) before reaching the boulder field of Fish and Chips at 25-35 m. Spend roughly half the bottom time working east through the boulders and schooling fish, then return via the Deep Entrance Gutter or a south-southwest route over sand and rock back to the mooring.

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.