Jervis Bay · Australia · Cave & cavern
Slot Cave
A 60 m slot in the cliff, entered at 16-18 m and naturally lit
Area photo: Dave Naithani · CC BY-SA 3.0
Slot Cave is a cut in the cliff face on the northern side of Jervis Bay, entered in about 16 to 18 m of water. Despite the name it is not an enclosed overhead: the slot runs back roughly 60 m, wide enough for two divers side by side, with natural light down its length. The northern shore keeps it out of the summer nor'easters.
Where it is and how deep
35.1245° S, 150.7638° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entry to the slot is in approximately 16 to 18 m of water on the northern side of the bay, and the position matters as much as the site does: this shore is protected from the nor'easters that traditionally blow through summer, so Slot Cave is often diveable on days when the exposed coast is not. The water here is very clean and the visibility good, which is part of what makes the feature worth swimming into rather than past.
From the entrance the slot extends back into the cliff face for about 60 m. It is wide enough for two divers to swim side by side and carries plenty of natural light, so despite the name it reads as a cavern rather than a cave and is not an enclosed overhead environment. Soft corals and small crustaceans grow on the walls and under the small ledges inside, which is where a torch earns its place even with daylight coming in.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| 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
- Jervis Bay Dive Site Locations (2019 archive) — Deep 6 Diving Jervis Bay (Wayback Machine)
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Cave & cavern
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