Jervis Bay · Australia · Reef
Drum and Drumsticks
Multi-level sponge reef, 10-30 m, with the Wandra wreck alongside
Area photo: Dave Naithani · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Drum and Drumsticks are rocks about four nautical miles north of the Jervis Bay entrance, and the diving around them is multi-level rocky reef between 10 m and 30 m. Topography is mainly rocky reef with sponge gardens and soft corals, and there are a number of different areas to dive once you are out there, including the wreck of the Wandra in 26 m.
Where it is and how deep
35.0466° S, 150.8406° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
It is boat only, about a 40-minute run from Huskisson out past the bay entrance to the rocks. The reef is multi-level, with depths from 10 m down to 30 m, so the dive is normally planned as a descent along the rock and a long shallow finish rather than a single working depth. The topography is mainly rocky reef, with sponge gardens and soft corals on it, and there are a number of different areas to dive once the boat is on the site.
There is more than one named spot around the rocks: at the Lion's Den, lionfish are sometimes seen. The wreck of the Wandra lies in 26 m within the same group, about 457 m off the rocks (500 yards), which makes a two-dive trip out here one reef dive and one wreck dive without moving the boat far. The published maxima do not agree either, 20 m in the Zentacle listing against 30 m in the operator guide, so settle the depth for the particular spot you are dropped on before you go in.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Jervis Bay: Apr–Jul is clearest as summer runoff clears; seals are present through winter and grey nurse numbers peak in the cooler months.
Sources
- Drum and Drumsticks, Jervis Bay — Zentacle
- TSS Wandra — Wikipedia
- Jervis Bay Dive Site Locations (2019 archive) — Deep 6 Diving Jervis Bay (Wayback Machine)
More dive sites in Jervis Bay
Boulder swim-throughs under a 100 m cliff, from 6 m to 35 m
Reef
A blue groper named Greg often joins divers here
Reef
A rock arch with its flat top at 24 m and a swim-through below
Reef
A boat-only deep dive to about 30 m on the Beecroft Peninsula
Wreck
A 1915 timber steamer in 26-28 m off the Drum and Drumsticks
Reef
Kelp gardens and rock gutters, no deeper than about 13 m
Reef
Juvenile fish over sand and rock groups, from 5 m to about 20 m
Cave & cavern
A true overhead cave running 70-80 m back into the cliff
Similar dives elsewhere
Eighty metres of coral-covered boulders on open sand
Black coral on the gutter walls, then semi-trailer-sized boulders
Moorings from an 8 m coral garden to a 30 m wall
A long eastern wall dropping into deep water