Jervis Bay · Australia · Reef · Cave & cavern
The Arch
A rock arch with its flat top at 24 m and a swim-through below
Area photo: Dave Naithani · CC BY-SA 3.0
About a kilometre off Point Perpendicular, the Arch is a suspended rock span shaped like a stone bridge: the flat top sits at 24 m, the archway rises more than five metres above the sea floor and spans about 10 m, and the sides drop away as a swim-through to a boulder-covered bottom. The range runs from 24 m to 35 m with no shallow section to the site.
Where it is and how deep
35.0840° S, 150.8200° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site lies roughly 1 km off Point Perpendicular, the north headland of the bay, on the Beecroft Peninsula below its high cliffs, and it is boat access only. You arrive on the flat top of the arch at 24 m, which is the shallowest point of the whole dive, so the descent is direct and the profile starts deep. From there the ground runs to about 35 m on the boulder floor, though the Zentacle listing records the maximum nearer 26 m and the operator guide the deeper figure.
The underside of the span is covered in jewel anemones that house a number of Eastern blue devils, and the arch itself is laden with small sprigs of gorgonia, white and orange anemones and pink and blue solitary corals, with schools of silver pike and butterfly pike around it. Wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks cover the bottom among the boulders, and grey nurse sharks are seen here too. With every part of the dive below 24 m, one circuit of the arch and a look under the span is the whole of it.
Marine life and season
- Sand tiger sharks
- Wobbegongs
| 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
- 5 Reasons You Should Go Diving in Jervis Bay, Australia — PADI Blog
- The Arch, Jervis Bay — Zentacle
- Jervis Bay Dive Site Locations (2019 archive) — Deep 6 Diving Jervis Bay (Wayback Machine)
More dive sites in Jervis Bay
Reef
Juvenile fish over sand and rock groups, from 5 m to about 20 m
Reef
A boat-only deep dive to about 30 m on the Beecroft Peninsula
Multi-level sponge reef, 10-30 m, with the Wandra wreck alongside
Reef
Kelp gardens and rock gutters, no deeper than about 13 m
Reef
A self-guided shore dive over kelp and seagrass in 8-12 m
Boulder swim-throughs under a 100 m cliff, from 6 m to 35 m
Reef
Winter seals over boulder ground, with the bottom at 25-30 m
Cave & cavern
A 60 m slot in the cliff, entered at 16-18 m and naturally lit
Similar dives elsewhere
Grey nurse sharks on the rock from July to October
A protected colony of endangered grey nurse sharks
Small cave at 10 m on Flat Rock's northern side
A mini cave that usually holds pelagics and wobbegongs