Type of Dive: Reef / Bolders
Access: Boat (about 30 min)
Minimum Qualification: Advanced Open Water
Depth: 16 - 34 meters
Fish Bommies is situated on the SE corner of Fish Rock at the bottom of the gutter which leads to the deep entrance of Fish Rock Cave. This dive can be experienced in a number of different ways depending on the dive plan – a square profile plan will allow greater time at the Bommies but a multilevel plan beginning and ending at the moorings in the main Shark Gutter will allow time to explore the Shark Gutter and also provide an orientation to the deep entrance of Fish Rock Cave.
Take your time as the sea floor is home to many amazingly coloured sponges and nudibranchs. Also look out for the smaller boulders – one of these boulders is likely to be one of the giant loggerheads who makes Fish Rock his home. You may find that the giant boulders of the Bommies are obscured by the huge swirling schools of bulleyes and other fish that congregate here. Don’t forget to look up and around – you may see huge king fish and other pelagics hunting the smaller fish – an amazing sight.
Spend a some time exploring the Bommies – check out the overhangs and crevices for large cuttlefish and octopus; especially look out for the large Cod that hide in the darkness. Watch out for the Wobbegong sharks “sunbaking” on the tops of the boulders – there are two resident species – Ornate and Spotted wobbegongs. The Grey Nurse Sharks are a common sight here too, their beautiful grey/bronze shapes hanging in amongst the smaller fish over the sea bottom.
The vertical walls are encrusted with colourful sponges and small hard corals. Large eastern blue groupers (wrasse) will undoubtedly greet you and you may see one of Fish Rock’s green turtles munching on the sponges.