Albany · Australia · Reef
Willy's Lump
A large limestone reef structure averaging 20-25 m
Area photo: Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0
Willy's Lump is a large limestone reef structure in King George Sound, 25 minutes by boat from the Albany Town Marina. The dive averages 20-25 m and bottoms out at 25.5 m, and the structure holds Western blue devils, wobbegongs, groper and cuttlefish, with large Samson fish visiting from time to time.
Where it is and how deep
35.0655° S, 118.0032° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no shallow shelf to potter about on here. The reef averages 20-25 m and the deepest point is 25.5 m, so the dive is a single level worked around the structure rather than a stepped profile, and bottom time is what you are managing from the moment you leave the surface. The limestone itself is the feature: a large reef structure 25 minutes out from the marina.
Western blue devils, wobbegongs and groper are the regulars on and around the structure, and cuttlefish are common. Large Samson fish visit occasionally. Visibility averages 10-15 m depending on the time of year, which on a structure this size means working one section at a time and keeping track of the way back to the boat.
Marine life and season
- Wobbegongs
- Groupers
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Albany: Charters run year-round; December to March is the dry, warm half of the year, June to August the wet half with July the wettest month, and the whales are in the Sound July to October.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Willy's Lump?+
The reef averages 20-25 m with a maximum of 25.5 m. There is no shallow section, so the whole dive is spent at that depth.
Sources
- Willy's Lump (Scubago) — Scubago
More dive sites in Albany
A 47.9 m whale chaser sunk as an artificial reef, deepest point 23 m
A sheltered 6 m cove dive around a swimming jetty
Reef
An ancient submerged limestone coastline in 4-16 m
Wreck
A 133 m destroyer on a fixed mooring, 5 m down to 36 m
An easy shore entry onto a small rock wall at about 5 m
Reef
Broken ground in 10-15 m carrying juvenile fish in thousands
Coral garden
Dense plate coral rising from 18 m up to 13 m
Reef
An old communication cable tangled through the reef, 8-28 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A dozen resident potato cod, the largest around 30 kg
Pineapplefish under the same ledge for at least seven years
Moorings from an 8 m coral garden to a 30 m wall
Eagle rays over the two narrow gutters at the southern tip