South West Rocks · Australia · Reef · Muck & macro
Bait Reef
A tennis-court-sized reef with resident green turtles
Area photo: Richard Ling · CC BY-SA 2.0
A small inshore reef just off Trial Bay Gaol, about the size of two tennis courts, lying parallel to the shore with two or three small bommies on its landward side. It runs from around 5 metres at its centre to 10 metres on the surrounding sand, and it is the local macro and turtle dive rather than a big-animal one.
Where it is and how deep
30.8774° S, 153.0702° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Bait Reef lies close to shore just off Trial Bay Gaol, and it can usually be seen from the beach or from the dive boats running past on their way out. The reef itself is about the size of two tennis courts and lies lengthways parallel to the shore, with two or three small bommies alongside it on the landward side. It comes up to roughly 5 metres from the surface in its centre and has a maximum of 10 metres on the surrounding sand.
The size means the dive is a slow search rather than a tour. Resident green turtles are the headline and are often here in numbers, and under the small ledges you will find pineapplefish and lionfish. The reef is also home to anglerfish, a long list of nudibranchs, sea hares, juvenile fish and molluscs, which is what keeps photographers coming back to a patch of reef this small.
Overhead there is usually movement: shoals of bait fish sweep the reef, which is where the name comes from, and schools of squid pass through as well. Humpback whales are seasonal visitors and are often seen over the reef during their migration up and down the coast. They are very rarely spotted underwater, but whole dives can be made to the accompaniment of male humpbacks singing.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Squid
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows South West Rocks: Grey nurse numbers peak Jun–Nov; the Eastern Australian Current brings the warmest, clearest water Jan–Apr.
Know before you go
- Shore entry only works in the calmest conditions and means a rock entry and exit or a long swim around the breakwall; in anything else the reef is a boat dive.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Bait Reef?+
The reef comes up to about 5 metres from the surface in its centre and has a maximum depth of 10 metres on the surrounding sand, which makes it one of the shallower dives in the area.
Can you dive Bait Reef from the shore?+
Only in the calmest sea conditions, and it takes a rock entry and exit or a long swim around the breakwall. Most of the time the reef is dived from a boat, which passes it on the way out to the other sites.
Can you hear whales at Bait Reef?+
Sometimes. Humpback whales pass over the reef on their annual migration and are very rarely seen underwater, but whole dives are sometimes made with male humpbacks singing in the background.
Sources
- Dive Sites | Fish Rock & South West Rocks — Fish Rock Dive Centre
- Trial Bay Gaol (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
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Wreck
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Similar dives elsewhere
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