Lord Howe Island · Australia · Wall
Tenth of June Island
Black coral and gorgonia on the walls of an offshore Admiralty Group outcrop
Area photo: Ryan McMinds · CC BY 2.0
Tenth of June Island is a small rocky outcrop in the Admiralty Group, the cluster of uninhabited islets lying within 2 km of the north end of Lord Howe Island. An underwater plateau there drops 36 metres, and the vertical walls below the drop carry extensive gorgonia and black corals. It is a boat dive, on rock rather than on reef.
Where it is and how deep
31.4950° S, 159.0706° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive is built on one feature: the underwater plateau off the outcrop and the edge where it ends. This is exposed offshore rock in the Admiralty Group rather than a sheltered lagoon reef, so it is a boat dive, and the depth is gained at the lip rather than gradually across a slope. A wall of this shape is normally dived along its edge, with the rock on one shoulder and open water on the other, rather than by swimming out over the drop and back.
Below the lip the growth is on the vertical faces: extensive gorgonia and black corals on the walls where the plateau drops 36 metres. That drop is the deep end of the dive and sets its shape, so the time at depth comes first and the rest of the dive is spent shallower on the plateau before the ascent. Nothing is published about the fish life on this particular outcrop, so plan around the walls and the coral growth rather than around an expected encounter, and expect the skipper to set the drop point and the direction on the morning: the group is open water on every side.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Lord Howe Island: The warm East Australian Current peaks Dec–Apr for the calmest, clearest diving; winter (Jul–Aug) is cooler with more boat-canceling swell.
Know before you go
- The 36 m drop makes this a short no-decompression dive: set the turn on gas and time before going over the lip, not after.
- An exposed offshore outcrop north of the island: the boat can only run it when swell and wind allow, and the plan is settled on the morning.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the dive at Tenth of June Island?+
The underwater plateau off the outcrop drops 36 metres, and that drop is the deep end of the dive. Everything shallower is spent on the plateau, so plan a short bottom time at depth and a longer, shallower second half.
Do you need to be an experienced diver here?+
Yes. It is an exposed offshore outcrop reached by boat, with the depth gained at a wall edge rather than down a gradual slope, so Advanced Open Water and recent diving are the sensible bar.
Sources
- Lord Howe Island — Wikipedia
- Admiralty Group — Wikipedia
- Admiralty Islands (Australien) — Wikipedia (German)
More dive sites in Lord Howe Island
A stack in open ocean, reached only when the sea allows
Similar dives elsewhere
Near-vertical walls dived four or five times a year
Black coral from beyond 100 m, growing at recreational depth
A 12-15 metre gap over a 40 metre bottom, stacked with stingrays
A wall from 25 m dropping past 50 m, usually dived as a drift