Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 7 Nov 2026
Fish Rock – Fish Bommies
South West Rocks, New South Wales · near South West Rocks
| Depth | 20–32 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Deep/Advanced + experience |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride from charter boat onto the southern mooring, swim to the bommies |
| Current | Moderate |
| Visibility | 15-30 m |
| Water | summer 22-25 °C, winter 17-20 °C |
| Suit | 3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter |
| Best season | May–September for grey nurse sharks |
| Bottom time | 35 min |
| Position | -30.93920, 153.09180 (approximate) |
| Permit | Grey nurse shark critical habitat — Code of Conduct applies |
| Nearest chamber | Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Fish Rock – Fish Bommies
Also known as Fish Bommies
A boulder-strewn deep gutter at Fish Rock with resident wobbegongs and a strong chance of juvenile and adult grey nurse sharks among the overhangs.
Near South West Rocks · South West Rocks, New South Wales
- Depth
- 20–32 m
- Minimum level
- Deep/Advanced + experience
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~20 min
- Water
- 22-25 °C
- Visibility
- 15-30 m
Fish Rock – Fish Bommies20–32 m · Deep/Advanced + experience
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: May, June, July, August, September.
May–September for grey nurse sharks
- Best months
- Now (November)
- Stinger suit Nov–May
Dive facts
- Depth
- 20–32 m
- Typical depth
- 28 m
- Certification
- Deep/Advanced + experience
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Depth tier
- Deep / Advanced + experience (30–40 m)
- Access
- Boat
- Offshore
- 2 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~20 min
- Current
- Moderate
- Visibility
- 15-30 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 22-25 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 17-20 °C
- Water
- Subtropical
- Bottom time
- 35 min
- Dive traffic
- Moderate (occasional charters/club dives)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter
Location
Fish Rock · NSW Mid North Coast — South West Rocks
-30.93920, 153.09180
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: fishrock.com.auMarine park & permits
Grey nurse shark critical habitat — Code of Conduct applies
Nearest recompression chamber
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Fish Rock – Fish Bommies →
A day-by-day plan for South West Rocks with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
Fish Rock – Fish Bommies is a pinnacle / bommie boat dive in South West Rocks, NSW, 20–32 m, suited to Deep/Advanced + experience divers, moderate current, about 20 minutes by boat.
Rated advanced because of depth to 32 m.
Why dive here
- A boulder-strewn deep gutter at Fish Rock with resident wobbegongs and a strong chance of juvenile and adult grey nurse sharks among the overhangs.
- Visibility often reaches 15-30 m.
Conditions to avoid
- Wind over about 20 knots
- Outgoing tide or run-off after rain (poor visibility)
About Fish Rock – Fish Bommies
The Fish Bommies sit at the deep, seaward end of the gutter that leads up to Fish Rock Cave's deep entrance, on the south-eastern corner of the island at 28 to 32 metres. Rather than a single bommie, the site is a scatter of semi-trailer-sized boulders that have tumbled off the rock over geological time, creating a maze of overhangs, crevices and swim-throughs on the sand. It is one of the better spots at Fish Rock for close encounters with juvenile grey nurse sharks as well as full-grown adults up to three metres, which use the boulder gaps as much as the open gutters, and the structure also holds a strong population of ornate and spotted wobbegongs tucked under the ledges.
Black coral trees grow from several of the larger boulders, and sponges and gorgonians cover the exposed faces, giving the site good colour for a spot this deep. Fish and invertebrate life is dense: bullseyes and kingfish move through the gaps, loggerhead and green turtles use the boulders for rest stops, and moray eels, octopus and nudibranchs occupy the smaller cracks. Because the site sits deeper than the cave and Shark Gutters, it is usually offered as a second dive for groups who want a change of scenery and a chance at grey nurse sharks away from the busier gutter mooring, and it works well linked with a swim up to the deep cave entrance to finish.
The depth and the maze-like boulder terrain mean it suits divers who are comfortable navigating without a fixed reef line and who can manage a 28-32 m profile with a sensible reserve, rather than newly certified divers, but it rewards that experience with one of the more overlooked but genuinely excellent corners of the Fish Rock complex.
Getting there & entry
Large boulder formations at the bottom of the gutter leading to the cave's deep entrance, on the south-eastern corner of Fish Rock.
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.
Entry: Giant stride from charter boat onto the southern mooring, swim to the bommies
Weather, swell & tides
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.
Best season: May–September for grey nurse sharks
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Fish Rock – Fish Bommies doesn't.
- Gaol Reef / Turtle Wall (Trial Bay) · 7 km · Max 10 m
- Ladies Reef (South West Rocks) · 8 km · Max 10 m
- Bait Reef (Trial Bay) · 8 km · Max 10 m
- Trial Bay shore sites — Little Bay, Gap Beach, Horseshoe Bay & Front Beach · 8 km · Max 8 m
How the dive is usually run
Descend the southern mooring and follow the main gutter out to its deeper end where semi-trailer-sized boulders form the Fish Bommies at around 28-32 m. Work through the gaps and overhangs between boulders looking for wobbegongs and juvenile grey nurse sharks, then rise back up the gutter toward the cave's deep entrance to finish the dive.
Marine life
- Grey nurse sharks (juveniles and adults) →
- ornate and spotted wobbegongs →
- black coral trees
- loggerhead and green turtles →
- moray eels
- kingfish
- large cod
- cuttlefish →
- octopus →
- lionfish
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
The recreational limit. Operators expect a Deep Diver specialty or Advanced plus a log of similar dives, and most recommend nitrox.
Operators often quote Advanced Open Water, but the site reaches 32 m, which is beyond that level's depth limit; Deep/Advanced + experience is the appropriate minimum for the full dive. This is a deep dive: plan gas, bottom time and a safety stop accordingly, and consider nitrox.
Operators' own listing: Advanced Open Water.
Courses that help here
- Enriched Air Nitrox – Longer no-decompression time at 25 m and deeper.
- Deep Diver – The site reaches 32 m.
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Maze-like boulder terrain can disorient divers without a plan; depth to 32 m; current can build through the dive; Code of Conduct site for grey nurse sharks.
Dive centres that go here
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.
Operators recorded for Fish Rock – Fish Bommies
Fish Rock Dive Centre
ProfiledSouth West Rocks · South West Rocks · NSW
A South West Rocks operation running regular Fish Rock and Fish Rock Cave trips from a 12-metre purpose-built vessel, with Nitrox supplied and PADI training.
fishrock.com.au · 0432 050 409
South West Rocks Dive Centre
ProfiledSouth West Rocks · South West Rocks · NSW
A family-run South West Rocks operation that has run daily charters to Fish Rock since 1980, including the 125-metre cave traverse.
swrdive.com.au · (02) 6566 6474
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Fish Rock – Fish Bommies: frequently asked questions
How deep is Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Fish Rock – Fish Bommies reaches a maximum depth of 32 m, with the shallowest part at about 20 m; most of the dive is spent around 28 m.
What certification do I need to dive Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Deep/Advanced + experience is the recommended minimum. Operators often quote Advanced Open Water, but the site reaches 32 m, which is beyond that level's depth limit; Deep/Advanced + experience is the appropriate minimum for the full dive. This is a deep dive: plan gas, bottom time and a safety stop accordingly, and consider nitrox. Rated advanced because of depth to 32 m.
Can I shore dive Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
No, it is reached by boat (about 20 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
May–September for grey nurse sharks.
What marine life will I see at Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Regularly recorded: Grey nurse sharks (juveniles and adults), ornate and spotted wobbegongs, black coral trees, loggerhead and green turtles, moray eels, kingfish, large cod, cuttlefish, octopus, lionfish.
What wetsuit do I need at Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
3-5 mm steamer summer; 5-7 mm full suit or semi-dry winter.
How cold is the water at Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Typically 22-25 °C in summer and 17-20 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Maze-like boulder terrain can disorient divers without a plan; depth to 32 m; current can build through the dive; Code of Conduct site for grey nurse sharks. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Fish Rock – Fish Bommies?
Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick, Sydney) — John Hunter Hospital Newcastle has no recompression chamber. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in South West Rocks
Fish Rock is on every serious Australian diver's list. A 125 m cave runs right through the island, opening in 24 m on one side and 12 m on the other, and both entrances are grey nurse shark gutters; outside are walls, pinnacles and turtles. Black Rock and Green Island are the other regulars, and the deep reefs off Smoky Cape reach 87 m for technical divers.
Getting there: Five hours north of Sydney. Two dive operators in South West Rocks run Fish Rock most days from the Back Creek boat ramp; it is a 15-minute ride in open water.
Sources
Data confidence: Medium · Being verified: Coordinates approximated from the general Fish Rock position; no independent GPS found for this sub-site.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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