Rowley Shoals · Australia · Sand slope · Reef
Eel Creek
Hundreds of garden eels standing out of white sand at 20 m
Area photo: Maclearite · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eel Creek is a Clerke Reef dive that winds through coral bommies in the shallows before opening onto a white sandy expanse that slopes off into deeper water. Hundreds of garden eels stand out of the sand at 20 m. Operators run it late in the afternoon or in the evening, as a dive or a snorkel depending on conditions.
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
This one is run late in the day, as an afternoon or evening dive or snorkel depending on what the conditions allow. The start is not the sand but the shallows: the route winds through coral bommies before the reef gives way and opens onto a white sandy expanse that slopes off towards deeper water. From there the interest is in what lives on and under the sand rather than in following a wall or a contour.
At 20 m the sand is covered in garden eels — hundreds of them, bodies standing up out of the bottom and folding back down as divers come near, which makes the approach the whole skill of the dive. The shallows are worth the last of the air rather than a rushed ascent: on one visit a porcupine stingray, covered in spikes, was sitting on a sandy patch directly under the boat during the safety stop.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair |
Season follows Rowley Shoals: Liveaboards run only in the short weather window Sep–Dec when seas are calm; the Kimberley wet season and cyclone risk close the shoals the rest of the year.
Questions divers ask
What do you see at Eel Creek?+
Coral bommies in the shallows, then a white sand flat with hundreds of garden eels standing out of the bottom at 20 m. A porcupine stingray was recorded on a sandy patch under the boat during a safety stop.
Can you snorkel Eel Creek?+
Yes. Operators schedule Eel Creek as a late-afternoon or evening dive or snorkel, depending on the conditions on the day.
Sources
- Diving Remote Rowley Shoals — Diveplanit
- Rowley Shoals cruise itinerary — Odyssey Expeditions
More dive sites in Rowley Shoals
White rubble floors at 8-12 m ringed by sheer coral walls.
Lagoon
A check-out dive circling one big bommie in 12 m of sheltered water.
Cave & cavern
Light beams through cave roofs with trevally circling
Drift
A tidal channel drift you ride rather than swim
Wall
A broadclub cuttlefish on the coral, sharks and turtles out in the blue.
Reef
Cupcake-shaped bommies above a reef slope that runs off to 50 m.
Reef
Gentle coral slope that plunges to 50 m
Wall
Gorgonian fans and plate corals on a wall to 50 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Garden eels standing in the sand a few fin-kicks from the entry
A single large block at 14 metres, loaded with small life
Juvenile fish over sand and rock groups, from 5 m to about 20 m
A sandbar edge from 3 m to 15 m, used for courses