Crayfish Gully (Mindarie)

Meet the site

North-west of Mindarie Marina, off Quinns Rocks and Alkimos, lies a cluster of limestone reefs at 12–23 m that local divers have named over the years: the Coral Garden, Grouper Gully, Crayfish Gully, Dewy Ledge, Gordon's Grotto, Ian's Cave Reef, Paul's Point, Snapper Peak, The 23 Metre Ledge and The Wall, along with Chris's Cliff, South Pass and Staggie Reef. The Marine Life Network's north-of-the-river list gives GPS positions and brief notes for most of them, and it is the main published source for these sites.

Crayfish Gully is described as a reef with multiple ledges at 15–20 m, with large snapper among its notable residents. It sits in the cluster of deeper reefs about 5 nautical miles north-west of Mindarie, near Dewy Ledge, Snapper Peak and The Wall. Stacked ledges like these shelter western rock lobster, which gave the site its name, and they are also where dhufish and snapper tend to hold.

Like the other reefs in the group, the limestone here is covered in kelp and red algae on top, with sponges, sea whips and corals in the shaded ledges. Typical fish of this part of the coast include buffalo bream, western blue devils, old wives, bullseyes, wrasse and morwong, with pink snapper, dhufish and samson fish on the deeper edges and western rock lobster in the crevices. The Marine Life Network notes that on the Quinns reefs the more interesting species tend to be found at depth.

Because the reefs are well offshore, visibility is usually better than at the inshore sites, but they are exposed and need calm weather. They are dived mostly from private boats; no operator runs regular trips. Published detail is limited to brief notes, so this record gives the position, depth and main features, and divers should check the reef on the sounder before descending. The depth means short no-decompression times, so Advanced certification and nitrox are recommended. Water temperatures range from about 17–18 °C in late winter to 22–23 °C in late summer.

What you might see

Pink snapper, western rock lobster, buffalo bream, dhufish, bullseyes, old wives, wrasse, sponges

Location

Offshore limestone reef with multiple ledges, at 15–20 m, in the cluster of reefs north-west of Mindarie Marina off Quinns Rocks and Alkimos.

Facilities nearby

Mindarie Marina: public ramp, parking, toilets, fuel, cafes.