Rowley Shoals · Australia · Reef · Coral garden
Cupcakes
Cupcake-shaped bommies above a reef slope that runs off to 50 m.
Area photo: Maclearite · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cupcakes is a Clerke Atoll dive named for the cupcake-shaped coral bommies on its shallow ground, though the main part of the site is a gradual reef slope running off into deep water. One published trip turned at 23 m while the reef continued past them to around 50 m, over large healthy corals and heavy reef-fish life.
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 name comes from the coral bommies on the shallow part of the site - squat, flat-topped heads that give the place its cupcake shape. The dive that published a profile here spent most of its time elsewhere, on the gradual reef slope that makes up the main portion of the site and falls away below the bommies into water too deep to work on a recreational dive.
Take the slope on your shoulder and follow it along. The reported group turned at a maximum of 23 m, with the reef sloping on past that point to around 50 m - the gradient is gentle enough that depth creeps up on you, so it pays to pick a number before you go in and hold it. Large healthy corals cover the slope, with abundant reef fish over them and batfish that swam over to look at the reported divers.
Work back up onto the bommie ground to finish the dive shallow. No current or visibility figures have been published for this specific site, and the tides that pour in and out of the atolls mean the boat sets dive times from the tide table rather than the clock, so expect a briefing on which way the water will be moving and a pickup in open water.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
- The slope keeps going well past the 23 m the published profile reached, down to about 50 m, and it does it gradually - agree a maximum depth before entry and watch your computer along the way.
- Tides pour in and out of the atolls and drifts run from gentle to swift with the state of the tide, and nothing site-specific is published here - carry a surface marker and stay close to your buddy.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Cupcakes dive?+
The published trip report gives a maximum of 23 m on the main part of the site, with the reef sloping on past that to roughly 50 m. The cupcake-shaped bommies the site is named for sit shallower than the turn point.
Sources
- Diving Remote Rowley Shoals — Diveplanit
- Rowley Shoals — Wikipedia
- Diving in Australia — Wikivoyage
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Sand slope
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Reef
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Wall
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