Outer Rock is the natural-reef partner to the Nautilus wreck off Bustard Head, the rugged headland and lighthouse between 1770 and Gladstone. Marinelife.org.au describes it as a tide-affected, exposed rock in 20-30 m that is best dived at high-tide slack, with visibility around 15 m – and warns that it is a 'haunt for bronze whalers and tiger sharks'.

That description sums up the character of the dive. This is an open-ocean rock swept by strong tidal flows, which bring nutrients and pelagic fish and make it a hunting ground for large sharks. Expect trevally, mackerel and cobia around the rock, gropers and cod in the crevices, and the rock itself encrusted with sponges, soft corals and gorgonians fed by the current. Divers visiting here should be comfortable with open water, current and the presence of big sharks, and ready to abort if the tide turns early.

Published information is limited to the marinelife.org.au summary and GPS mark; there is no regular operator and the site is visited mainly by local divers and spearfishers with their own boats, usually combined with the Nautilus. Access from Turkey Beach or 1770 is through shallow creek bars, and the headland is remote from services.

Outer Rock suits experienced, self-reliant divers who want a raw, exposed natural reef with a big-animal edge. It is not a site for newly certified divers or for anyone uneasy around sharks. Do not confuse it with Outer Rock in the Keppel Islands further north. Bustard Head itself carries Queensland's first coastal lighthouse, first lit in 1868, which makes a useful landmark on the run out.

Launch at Turkey Beach boat ramp (a small settlement about 40 minutes' drive north-west of Agnes Water via Round Hill Road and Turkey Beach Road), which marinelife.org.au names as the access point, or at the Seventeen Seventy ramp on Round Hill Creek. The rock lies off Bustard Head at the mark 23°58.723'S 151°46.151'E; allow 30-60 minutes by boat depending on the ramp. Both creek bars are shallow – cross on the top half of the tide.

Anchor clear of the rock in sand or live-boat the dive.

These offshore sites lie north of the protection of K'gari and are exposed to the south-east trade winds that blow for much of the year, so they need a calm spell – winds under about 12-15 knots and seas under 1-1.5 m – for a small boat to make the run and anchor safely. North-westerly and westerly winds in winter give the flattest seas and the best visibility (up to 30-40 m on the outer wrecks). The wrecks are tidal: plan to dive at high-water slack, and prefer neap tides, as the current can run hard across open sand on springs.

The Round Hill Creek and Turkey Beach bars are shallow and dangerous on a low tide with swell. Summer brings northerly sea breezes, storms and cyclone risk (November-April).

Time the dive for high-tide slack. Descend onto the rock on the up-current side, work around it at 20-25 m watching the blue for pelagics and sharks, and ascend on the rock or send up an SMB for a live-boat pickup if the current starts running. Safety stop in open water on the SMB line.

Dive Spear and Sport @ 1770 (opened December 2022) offers technical wreck diving to 48 m for qualified divers on demand; otherwise private boat or club charter from 1770 or Turkey Beach. No scheduled recreational trips.