Bass Point Bommie

Meet the site

Bass Point Bommie is a reef pinnacle that rises from the channel between Bass Point and Bass Point Island to within a few metres of the surface. The channel on the Bass Point side is 23–25 m deep, the saddle between the bommie and the island is only 5–8 m, and the southern face drops as a sheer wall in places, with a ledge at 15–18 m in others. North of the bommie the wall splits into two arms, one running north-east and the other wrapping around the pinnacle.

That structure concentrates fish in impressive numbers. Huge schools of yellowtail, seapike, one-spot pullers and nannygai hang off the walls, and large bream, luderick and blackfish work the shallower rock. Big rays, bull rays and eagle rays cruise the channel, boarfish tuck under the ledges, and in late summer tropical visitors such as Moorish idols appear. The walls carry sponges and encrusting growth typical of Bass Point's outer reefs.

The dive is flexible: it can be done as a deeper wall dive along the southern face or as a shallower circuit of the pinnacle, and the channel provides an easy navigation reference. The one serious caution is the top of the bommie, which breaks even in slight seas. Divers need to know where it is at all times and avoid surfacing near it, where they can be caught and rolled by a wave. Plan the ascent on the anchor line or in the sheltered water on the western side. In small swell and good visibility it is one of the most fish-rich dives in the Illawarra.

What you might see

Yellowtail, striped seapike, one-spot pullers, nannygai, bream, luderick, blackfish, rays, bull rays, eagle rays, boarfish, Moorish idols (seasonal), sponges

Location

Bombora rising to a few metres below the surface between Bass Point and Bass Point Island, with a sheer southern wall and a 23–25 m channel on its inside.

Facilities nearby

Shellharbour Marina: modern boat ramp, trailer parking, toilets, cafés. Air and nitrox at Shellharbour Scuba and Photography Centre (Shellharbour Village).