South West Rocks sits on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, where Pacific Ocean diving is built around one of the most distinctive underwater features on the Australian east coast: Fish Rock Cave, a hundred-and-twenty-five-metre-long tunnel running through Fish Rock, roughly two kilometres offshore. The seven sites in our database span caves, caverns, canyons, walls, pinnacles, and a shore-accessible artificial reef, covering a depth range from a couple of metres to forty. Grey nurse sharks and green sea turtles are regularly encountered, and the estuarine entry at the Training Wall adds a different character to the site mix. Water is warmest in late summer and drops to its coolest in late winter.
Monthly water temperature across South West Rocks's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water temperatures are warmest from late summer into autumn and coolest in late winter and early spring, when conditions at exposed sites can also be more demanding. Fish Rock Cave requires careful current and surge management, and conditions at Black Rock and The Fish Market are highly variable depending on swell.
2 operators
Water temperature around South West Rocks ranges from about 20°C in August to 26°C in March, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 26°C) a 3mm full suit is comfortable in South West Rocks; in the coldest months (about 20°C) step up to a 5mm suit.
Fin maps 7 sites in South West Rocks (7 scuba diving sites and 2 snorkelling spots, with some suited to both).
4 more sites to explore
