The Nursery is the shallowest of Flat Rock's four dive sites and the one where most new divers at Point Lookout first see what the reef has to offer. It lies on the south-western corner of the rock and consists of coral gardens in 5-16 m, with patches of hard and soft corals, sponges and sand. Current is usually minimal to medium, so Manta Lodge rates it beginner to advanced and uses it for training and for relaxed dives with plenty of bottom time.

The name suits the site's small-scale richness. Nudibranchs, flatworms and micro-creatures live among the corals, alongside octopus and moray eels, while turtles are frequent visitors and wobbegong sharks rest on the sand and under ledges. Between November and April, leopard sharks gather on the sand around Flat Rock, and The Nursery is one of the best places to see them lying on the bottom.

Eagle rays, barracuda and schools of tropical fish pass through, and Gold Coast Dive Adventures notes that hammerhead sharks are occasionally seen. The shallow coral also suits snorkellers when conditions are calm. Because it is sheltered, The Nursery often remains diveable when Shark Alley and The Bowl on the eastern side are rough, and it pairs naturally with one of those deeper sites on a double dive.

It is in the Flat Rock protected zone, so fish are relaxed and plentiful. Divers who enjoy slow, close-focus diving can happily spend an hour here; those after big animals should visit in summer for leopard sharks or combine it with Shark Alley in winter.

Drive to Cleveland (about 40 minutes from Brisbane) and take the SeaLink vehicle ferry or a passenger water taxi across to Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island, then drive about 20 km (25 minutes) east to Point Lookout. Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre at Point Lookout runs the dives, beach-launching its boats and reaching the Point Lookout sites in roughly 5-15 minutes. Brisbane operators (Brisbane Scuba from Manly, Gold Coast Dive Adventures from Runaway Bay) also run occasional day trips.

The Nursery is on the south-western, more sheltered corner of Flat Rock.

Flat Rock is exposed to the open ocean. South-easterly winds over about 15-20 knots and easterly swell over about 1.5-2 m make the moorings rough and create surge; summer northerlies also chop up the site. Visibility ranges from 10 to 30 m, best in winter, and drops to a few metres after summer storms and heavy rain.

Morning dives are usually calmer before the afternoon sea breeze. The Nursery is the most sheltered Flat Rock site and is often chosen when the eastern side is too rough; current is minimal to medium.

Descend the mooring to the coral gardens at 8-10 m and meander through them at 5-16 m, checking the sand edges for leopard sharks in summer and the ledges for wobbegongs. Finish in the shallows near the rock for the safety stop.

Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre – daily boat dives and training dives, weather permitting; Gold Coast Dive Adventures and Brisbane Scuba – occasional trips.