Stoney Creek

Meet the site

Stoney Creek is regarded by many as one of the best deep dives in New South Wales. The Marine Life Network calls it an extraordinary dive, and McFadyen describes the colours as superior to many coral reefs. It lies 1.5–2 km offshore about 4 km south of Bowen Island, where a reef rises to a top at about 37 m and drops as walls past 50 m in its main zone and to 40 m in secondary areas. In the southern section a flat area at 38 m meets a wall rising to 34 m.

The reef is flattish and covered entirely in sea whips, sponges, sea squirts, gorgonians and other colourful life, with tiger anemones and feather stars adding to the display. Because it lies in clear oceanic water, visibility consistently exceeds 25 m and often reaches 30–35 m, so the scale and colour of the reef are unusually apparent at depth. Pelagic fish pass over the wall, and the invertebrate life is outstanding.

The site is nearly always subject to strong, variable currents, which is why Deep 6 describes it as a dive not for the faint-hearted and notes it is often done as a twin-tank or technical dive, sometimes as a drift. With the reef top at 37 m, any meaningful bottom time involves decompression on air or nitrox, and trimix is the sensible choice for the wall. Teams need a competent boat crew to follow drifting divers, good current awareness and conservative planning. When conditions allow, it rewards qualified divers with one of the finest deep temperate reef scenes in Australia.

What you might see

Sea whips, gorgonians, sponges, sea squirts, tiger anemones, feather stars, kingfish and other pelagics, leatherjackets, butterfly perch

Location

Deep reef 1.5–2 km offshore about 4 km south of Bowen Island; reef top at 37 m with walls dropping past 50 m, covered in sea whips and gorgonians, almost always current-swept.

Facilities nearby

Departure from Huskisson (Dive Jervis Bay shop, air/nitrox, cafés) or Murrays Beach ramp (Booderee; toilets, parking, park pass required).