Rowley Shoals · Australia · Wall · Reef
Clerke Wall
A broadclub cuttlefish on the coral, sharks and turtles out in the blue.
Area photo: Maclearite · CC BY-SA 4.0
Clerke Wall is the outer-reef dive on Clerke Atoll, the middle reef of the Rowley Shoals, where a coral face covered in healthy, colourful growth slopes steeply into dark blue water. The one published profile for the site keeps to the 5-20 m band, shallow enough to spend a full dive on the upper face while pelagic fish, turtles and sharks pass along it.
Where it is and how deep
17.3167° S, 119.3500° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts on the ocean side of Clerke Atoll, dropping onto the top of the wall where the coral rim falls away. The face is covered in healthy, colourful coral and slopes steeply into dark blue water. The one trip report that published a profile here stayed in the 5-20 m range rather than pushing deeper, and that band holds most of what there is to see: coral on one shoulder, open water on the other.
Work along the wall and keep glancing out. Pelagic fish move past in numbers, sharks pass along the face and turtles come up off the coral, while tiny schooling fish flash over the coral heads in the sunlight. One reported dive found a large octopus crawling in and out of holes with a cod following it; another turned up a broadclub cuttlefish holding station against the wall.
The shallow ceiling means gas and no-stop time last, so the dive tends to finish where it started, coming up the wall to a stop in the blue and a pickup from the tender. Nothing has been published on typical current or visibility at this specific site; the tides that pour in and out of the atoll set the timing, and briefings on the boat are built around the tide rather than the clock.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Off-season |
Season follows Rowley Shoals: Liveaboards run in the calm window from late September to November; trade winds before it and the December–April cyclone season keep boats away.
Know before you go
- Tides pour in and out of the atolls and drifts here run from gentle to swift depending on the state of the tide, so carry a surface marker and stay with the group for the pickup.
- Open water sits below the wall the whole way along, so ascents finish with nothing underneath - hold the safety stop on your computer and your buddy rather than a visual reference.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Clerke Wall?+
The one published trip report for this site describes diving the wall in the 5-20 m range, shallow enough to stay on the upper coral face for a full dive. Nothing deeper is published for the spot, though the wall itself slopes on into the blue below that band.
How do you get to Clerke Wall?+
Only by liveaboard. The Rowley Shoals lie roughly 260-300 km off Broome in Western Australia and are reached on boat trips lasting several days; there is no shore access and no day-boat option.
Sources
- Diving Remote Rowley Shoals — Diveplanit
- Rowley Shoals: Australia's most exclusive dive destination — Diveplanit
- Rowley Shoals — Wikipedia
- Diving in Australia — Wikivoyage
In The Logbook
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