Snug Cove Wharf

Meet the site

Snug Cove is Eden's harbour, home to the fishing fleet, the fishermen's co-op, cafés and, more recently, a wharf used by cruise ships. It has long been used for wharf diving, and Dive Eden lists wharf dives among its Twofold Bay offerings, while Sapphire Coast Scuba guides dives at the nearby Cannery Wharf (Cattle Bay) and other Eden shore sites.

Wharf pylons and harbour rubble in temperate NSW are rich macro habitats: sponges, ascidians, hydroids and mussels cover the pylons and attract nudibranchs, sea hares, shrimps, crabs and pipefish. Seahorses, weedy sea dragons, octopus, cuttlefish, stingrays and fiddler rays are common finds at Sapphire Coast wharves such as Merimbula. Fish include bream, luderick, leatherjackets, trevally and schools of baitfish, and seals sometimes visit the fishing fleet looking for scraps. At night the pylons come alive with crustaceans, octopus and squid.

The site suits macro photographers and night divers, preferably with a local guide who knows which areas are permitted and safe. The key issues are boat traffic and fishing lines in an active port. Eden is also a whale-watching centre in spring, and humpbacks sometimes enter Twofold Bay close to the harbour, so keep an eye out on surface intervals. After the dive, the fishermen's co-op and cafés are a few steps away, and the Killer Whale Museum up the hill is one of the best regional museums in NSW.

What you might see

Nudibranchs, sea hares, seahorses, weedy sea dragons, octopus, cuttlefish, stingrays, fiddler rays, bream, luderick, leatherjackets, trevally, baitfish, pipefish, fur seals

Location

Eden's working harbour in Snug Cove, with the main wharf, breakwall and fishing fleet; shallow wharf diving for macro life, used by local operators for guided wharf dives.

Facilities nearby

Parking, toilets, cafés and fishermen's co-op at Snug Cove; Dive Eden and Sapphire Coast Scuba in town; Eden Killer Whale Museum nearby.