Wynyard – Fossil Bluff / Table Cape

Meet the site

Table Cape, the flat-topped basalt headland west of Wynyard famous for its tulip farm and lighthouse, has a narrow rocky reef at its foot created by fallen rubble. The Marine Life Network guide rates it 5 out of 10: a shallow, exposed location in 2-6 m, with leatherjackets, magpie perch, sea sweep and common Bass Strait reef fish among medium to large boulders but limited delicate marine life. It warns that the site is remote from safe anchorages, that beginners need experienced leadership and that heavy swell makes it uncomfortable. The Leven Scuba Club describes the same narrow reef close to the cape with medium to large boulders.

No dive description of Fossil Bluff has been found, and the documented dive is at Table Cape. Local knowledge from Leven Scuba Club members is the best way to get the most out of it, and first-time visitors should ideally dive it with someone who knows the site and the tide.

The central north coast between Wynyard and Port Sorell is the home water of the Leven Scuba Club at Ulverstone, whose site list is the main modern source for it, supplemented by the older Marine Life Network guide. The towns of Burnie, Ulverstone and Devonport sit right on the coast, so many sites are within minutes of a ramp or car park, but the reefs are generally low and weedy, visibility is often 5-10 m, and the coast is open to Bass Strait's northerly and westerly weather.

Devonport is the Spirit of Tasmania ferry terminal, which makes these sites the first and last dives for many interstate visitors bringing their own gear. There is no hyperbaric chamber in the north - the nearest is the Royal Hobart Hospital, about 3.5 hours' drive - so dive conservatively, especially on the deeper offshore sites.

What you might see

Leatherjackets, magpie perch, sea sweep, wrasse, Bass Strait reef fish, brown algae

Location

A narrow rocky reef of fallen basalt rubble and boulders close under Table Cape, west of Wynyard, in 2-6 m; Fossil Bluff at Wynyard is a nearby geological landmark rather than a documented dive.

Facilities nearby

Wynyard: ramp in the Inglis River, shops, fuel, accommodation, airport.