NSW Central Coast · Australia · Reef
Desoto Inlet
Overhangs and boulders in a 10 m-wide inlet named for a car driven off the cliff
Area photo: Ray Hayward · CC BY-SA 3.0
A shallow boat dive in a narrow inlet on the southern side of the south point, about 80 m long and 10 m wide, made up of overhangs and large rocks in 6 to 16 m. It is named for an old De Soto motor car that was driven off the cliff into it, and the rocks hold Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, rays, shrimp and nudibranchs with yellowtail, silver sweep and seapike over the top.
Where it is and how deep
33.1608° S, 151.6348° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Desoto Inlet is a slot in the rock about 80 m long and 10 m wide on the southern side of the south point, and Scubago lists it as a shallow boat dive between 6 and 16 m. You drop in from the boat and work along the inlet under the overhangs and between the large rocks that make up the site, with rock on both sides to keep you oriented in a space only 10 m across.
The rocks are where the life is. Port Jackson sharks and wobbegongs rest around the overhangs and boulders, rays of several kinds settle on the bottom, and shrimp, nudibranchs and corals cover the rock faces, with flathead possible on the sand. Over the top, yellowtail, silver sweep and seapike hang in the water column. When you have covered the length of the inlet, turn and come back along it for the pickup.
Marine life and season
- Wobbegongs
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows NSW Central Coast: Logged visibility peaks May–Aug at 15 m or more, when the water is coldest at 16–17°C; spring is murkiest, with 5 m or less logged in October.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Desoto Inlet?+
It is a shallow boat dive from 6 to 16 m, along an inlet about 80 m long and 10 m wide made up of overhangs and large rocks.
Why is it called Desoto Inlet?+
The inlet takes its name from an old De Soto motor vehicle that was driven off the cliff into it.
Sources
- Desoto Inlet — Scubago
More dive sites in NSW Central Coast
Nature-reserve island with wobbegongs in the rocks and stingrays on the sand
Chains, cables and the 1914 Wallarah wreck under a coal jetty in 11 m
Wall
Wall and bommies with fiddler rays and eagle rays, dived above or below 20 m
Wreck
Scuttled RAN frigate in 32 m off Avoca, closed to divers since July 2024
Beginner wall dive to 14 m with sleeping blue gropers on night dives
Wreck
1927 coaster in 51 m with kingfish on the line and baitfish over the hull
Bridge pylons and an 18 m artificial reef, dived at slack or as a tidal drift
Similar dives elsewhere
Sheltered ledge from 16 m up to 5 m, thick with nudibranchs
The southernmost reef where plate coral grows this thickly
A 10-22 m reef of overhangs and swim-throughs
A mini cave that usually holds pelagics and wobbegongs