Bulk Jetty (Kwinana)

Meet the site

Bulk Jetty is an industrial jetty on the eastern shore of Cockburn Sound that Bucket List Diver rates among the prettiest shore dives in Perth, while others see it mainly as a reliable site when everything else is blown out. Both views have a point. The structure is about 250 m long and slopes gently from about 3 m at the shore end to 8.5 m down the centre, with open water to 15 m beyond the end and sides.

The pylons and the debris-strewn seabed give it an odd character; Howies compares the bottom to a moon landing. Among the rubble live some very large sea stars, some up to a metre across, along with blue swimmer crabs, razor clams, mussel clumps and, in places, blue-ringed octopus. The pylons are encrusted with sponges, ascidians and soft growth and hold small reef fish, leatherjackets and old wives, and nudibranchs and other macro life reward a slow search.

The jetty needs solid buoyancy. Nets, ropes and cables lie around the pylons, the bracing sits at head height at the surface, and the silt comes up quickly. Visibility averages about 3 m. There is no dive flag on site, and industrial boat traffic works nearby, so bring your own flag.

Bulk Jetty suits Open Water divers with good buoyancy who want a shore dive on a windy day, and photographers interested in pylon macro and the oversized sea stars. It is a short drive from KGT and the Rockingham sites, so it is easy to combine with them.

What you might see

Giant sea stars, blue swimmer crabs, razor clams, mussels, blue-ringed octopus, nudibranchs, leatherjackets, old wives, small reef fish, sponges, ascidians

Location

The 250 m Kwinana Bulk Jetty at the bottom of Riseley Road, Kwinana Beach (Horse Beach), on the eastern shore of Cockburn Sound.

Facilities nearby

Free unsealed car park; no toilets or showers. Nearest shops and dive shops in Kwinana and Rockingham.