Julian Rocks · Australia · Pinnacle
The Needles
Bombies at 5 to 15 m where mantas come in to feed
Area photo: JulianGWilson · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Needles is the southern end of Julian Rocks, where large bombies rise off the bottom into shallow water and the diving sits between 5 and 15 m. Current runs across it, and that is the point: it brings large schools of fish over the rock, along with turtles, bull rays and eagle rays all year round. It is also a feeding station for manta rays, with leopard sharks gathering here through summer.
Where it is and how deep
28.6124° S, 153.6293° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Needles sits at the southern end of Julian Rocks, a cluster of large bombies rising off the bottom into shallow water. Working depth is 5 to 15 m, so it is not a deep dive, but it is a moving one — current runs across this end of the rock, and the current is what makes the site worth doing rather than something to be put up with.
What the flow brings is the reason to be here. Large schools of fish, turtles, bull rays and eagle rays are on this ground year-round rather than seasonally, so the site does not depend on a season to be worth diving. The bombies rise from the bottom into shallow water, which means the shallow end of the dive is spent among rock with fish holding around it.
Two seasonal animals lift the site further. Manta rays use The Needles as a feeding station, and several leopard sharks make it a regular hang-out through summer. Neither is a given on any one day, which is the honest position on both. With a maximum of 15 m, depth is rarely the limiting factor, and the dive stays inside the range where you can hold position and watch rather than move on.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Julian Rocks: Leopard sharks arrive Dec–Apr and grey nurse Jun–Nov, so the site has a marquee species almost year-round.
Know before you go
- Current runs across The Needles and the site is dived for it: agree in the briefing what to do if you are pushed off the rock, and use the bombies to get out of the flow.
- Manta rays feed here — do not chase them or swim over the top of them, and keep the distance the crew briefs before the dive.
Dive videos
Julian Rocks, Byron Bay Summer Dive ft leopard sharks, manta rays and a bull ray · Bush to Beach Education on YouTube
Bull Ray - Julian Rocks - The Needles · wmacinto on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Where do you see manta rays at Julian Rocks?+
The Needles, at the southern end of the island, is a feeding station for them. Several leopard sharks also use the site through summer, though neither animal is a given on any one dive.
Is The Needles a difficult dive?+
It is shallow, 5 to 15 m, but current runs through the site, so it suits divers already comfortable holding position and finning in moving water.
Sources
- Byron Bay Dive Centre — Julian Rocks dive sites — Byron Bay Dive Centre
- Julian Rocks dive site — PADI
- Nguthungulli Julian Rocks Nature Reserve — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in DecemberTrip planning · 10 min read
- Where to dive with manta rays, month by monthBig animals · 8 min read
More dive sites in Julian Rocks
A small cave at 15 to 21 m on the island's northern tip
Cave & cavern
Grey nurse sharks around a cave at the island's deep end
Wall
Spanish dancers and pineapple fish on vertical rock at 18 m
Reef
Resident green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles shelter here
Similar dives elsewhere
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The island's main manta cleaning station, in 14 m of water
Loose bommie field in 14–19 m that rays and sharks cross
A manta cleaning station beside a coral-covered Admiralty anchor
Resident leaf scorpionfish on bommies at 18 m