Meet the site
Gordons Bay (Thompsons Bay to older divers) is a compact, boat-shed lined inlet between Clovelly and Coogee and home to the Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail, a 620 m chain laid on the seabed by the Gordons Bay Scuba Club in the 1980s and anchored with concrete-filled drums, with information plaques at intervals. Following the chain takes you clockwise around the bay: out over the central sand, along the southern reef of scattered rock and a small bombora, to 'The Wall', a short reef face at the head of the sand spit that is the deepest point at about 12 m, then back across the mouth and along the northern side in 6–8 m. The reef is a mix of kelp-covered rock, sponge-encrusted boulders and sand edges, and the fish list from the trail's heyday reads like a Sydney field guide: blue groper, moray eel, mado, old wife, Maori and crimson-banded wrasse, garfish, red morwong, six-spined and velvet leatherjackets, goatfish, eastern foxfish, one-spot pullers, seapike, bullseyes, sergeant baker and silver sweep, with abalone in the rocks. At night crayfish, sand whiting and baby sharks appear. McFadyen is blunt that the deep part of the bay declined markedly after 1991 – he suspects the chain's galvanic effect or kelp overgrowth smothering the sponges – and that the northern shallows are now the best part of the dive, with bream and luderick in good numbers. That honest assessment matters: this is a beginner and training site and a very good night dive rather than a destination reef. It sits inside the Bronte–Coogee Aquatic Reserve, so the fish are unafraid, and the trail makes navigation almost impossible to get wrong, which is why every Sydney dive school uses it.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Gordons Bay is recorded as Shore/Rock Platform in Sydney South & Botany Bay. The listed access is shore. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
- Overhead environments
- Ask whether the plan stays entirely in open water. A wreck or cave listing is not permission or training to enter.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Gordons Bay suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Gordons Bay through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Blue groper, moray eel, mado, old wife, Maori and crimson-banded wrasse, garfish, red morwong, six-spined and velvet leatherjackets, spotted goatfish, eastern foxfish, one-spot puller, seapike, bullseyes, sergeant baker, silver sweep, bream, luderick, abalone; crayfish, whiting and juvenile sharks at night
Location
Small boat-shed bay between Clovelly and Coogee inside the Bronte–Coogee Aquatic Reserve; sand, kelp and low reef 2–12 m with a 620 m chain-marked underwater nature trail.
Facilities nearby
Street parking above the bay or Clovelly Beach car park, toilets/showers at Clovelly Beach, cafés at Clovelly and Coogee, air at Pro Dive Coogee.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
michaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infoabyss.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.
