Babel Island Fossil Dive

Meet the site

South of Babel Island, limestone ledges on Flinders Island's east coast are the site of what the Marine Life Network guide calls the Fossil Dive, rated 5 out of 10. Fossils eroding from the rock were discovered in the 1970s and include teeth of the extinct giant shark Carcharodon (Otodus) megalodon; the best recoveries have been near Cameron Inlet. The guide says there is no particular technique - luck finding the right ledge matters - that fossils look like black rocks, and that the seabed is uninspiring unless the hunt succeeds. It asks that all finds be shown to the local museum, and a specimen display is at the Lady Barron pub. Local advice from Flinders Island Dive or the charter skippers at Lady Barron on current conditions, tides and exact positions is the best starting point for any dive here.

The Furneaux Group - Flinders, Cape Barren, Clarke, Preservation and dozens of smaller islands - is one of Australia's least-dived temperate regions. Granite dominates, but Flinders Island also has unusual limestone reefs, and the islands' position on the eastern approach to Bass Strait left a long trail of shipwrecks from the colony's earliest years. The Marine Life Network guide remains the fullest published account of the dive sites; since then Flinders Island Dive at Emita has made air and guiding available on the island.

All wrecks over 75 years old are protected under Commonwealth and Tasmanian heritage law: nothing may be disturbed or removed, and new finds should be reported to the Parks and Wildlife Service. There is no chamber on the island, so a diving injury means aeromedical evacuation to Hobart or Melbourne; dive conservatively and carry oxygen.

What you might see

Limited - sand and limestone ledges; fossils

Location

Limestone ledges south of Babel Island off Flinders Island's east coast where fossils, including teeth of the extinct megalodon shark, erode from the rock.

Facilities nearby

Whitemark: shops, fuel, hospital (no chamber), accommodation. Lady Barron: ramp, fuel, pub, store. Emita: Flinders Island Dive (air, hire) and Furneaux Museum.