Sir John Young Banks

Meet the site

Sir John Young Banks is the most serious dive in this region – an offshore reef system 16 km out from Crookhaven Heads that rises from depths of more than 70 m to a plateau as shallow as 16 m. The main dive is on the 33 m reef, which runs roughly north–south and drops to a narrow shelf at 42 m before a second wall falls to 50 m. Other marks give an 18 m reef and a 40 m+ reef, and a northern reef is also charted.

The banks are a magnet for pelagic life. McFadyen lists tuna, yellowtail kingfish, hammerhead sharks, oceanic whitetips, and grey and bronze whalers, alongside cuttlefish, leatherjackets and swirling bait. The fixed life is spectacular: sea whips, sponges and sea squirts cover the walls, and nudibranchs and sea stars are abundant. He describes the colours as unlike almost any other dive, a result of the clear oceanic water and the absence of kelp at depth.

This is not a site for casual visits. The banks are usually swept by currents from the north, often strong enough to make anchoring and descending difficult, and the presence of large sharks, the depth, the distance from shore and the Crookhaven bar all add risk. Divers need a capable boat with a skipper who stays aboard, excellent sea conditions, and experience in deep open-ocean diving; most visits are by technical divers using trimix or nitrox with decompression gases. For those who can meet those conditions it is one of the most spectacular offshore dives on the NSW coast, and it is rarely dived, so the reef remains in pristine condition.

What you might see

Hammerhead sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, grey and bronze whalers, tuna, yellowtail kingfish, cuttlefish, leatherjackets, nudibranchs, sea stars, sea whips, sponges, sea squirts

Location

Offshore reef system 16 km east of Crookhaven Heads rising from more than 70 m to a plateau at about 16 m, with walls dropping to 42 m and 50 m; pelagic sharks and strong currents.

Facilities nearby

Crookhaven Heads boat ramp: trailer parking, toilets; air and nitrox at Huskisson (Dive Jervis Bay) or Nowra-area shops.