Land of Giants

Everything starts at The Pinnacle, the twin-peaked formation whose base sits at 30 to 35 metres, and the route runs out from there along the eastern side of the rock. Following the gradually sloping wall coming out from Colorado Pass, the ground falls away to 40 metres, and that is the depth at which the site starts to show what it holds and the depth that sets the rest of the plan.

In the open water, silver schools circle the divers: yellowtail kingfish, bream, black drummer and eastern rock blackfish, with schools of long-finned bannerfish swirling down from the shallows above. From the shadows in the rock, huge giant Queensland groper lurk. On the sponge and sea-squirt covered sandy bottom below, grey nurse sharks and wobbegongs lie out, and hawksbill, green and loggerhead turtles turn up for divers who are lucky with them.

This is a conditions-dependent dive rather than a scheduled one. It is only run on the best of days, with flat seas, little to no current and no swell, so it is worth asking about but not worth planning a trip around. The dive centre recommends it for experienced divers only, who need to be very good on air for a profile planned at up to 45 minutes including deco and safety stops.