Tomaree Head
Tomaree head is probably the hardest place in the bay to dive. It is right at the heads and is subject to strong currents which could potentially sweep you out to sea. It must therefore be dived on or near to slack tide. The best thing about the divesite however is that it can be dived at low tide! Because it is so close to the harbour entrance the water is often still clear at low tide unlike further into the bay.
Parking for the divesite is at the end of Shoal Bay Rd, with a walk of almost 1km through the Tomaree Lodge Intellectually Disabled Village to get to the entry area. An easier option is to go to the site by boat, from the Shoal Bay boat ramp which is also only about 1km from the site. If you plan to dive at low tide make sure you check out the water clarity in Shoal Bay before you set off. If the water is clear in the bay then it should be clear at the heads, but if it is dirty in the bay don't bother going to the site as it is also likely to be dirty.
The photo below shows the divesite. This consists of a rocky headland and 2 old torpedo tube groynes. The divesite is situated between the groynes and entry is by scrambling down the rocks into the water. Once in the water the rocks form a very steep wall down to a sandy bottom at between 10-11m. The top section of the wall consists of bare rocks with lots of long spined urchins and a good variety of tropical fish over the summer months. Below 5m the rocks are covered with kelp and near the sand-line a variety of interesting sponges can also be found. This is a very fishy dive with big schools of fish hanging off the wall. Silver sweep, Yellowtail, and Mado form large schools and the kelp harbours schools of Old Wives and Red Morwongs. The sponges shelter a good selection of molluscs, a variety of urchins, and numerous other invertebrates.
This site should be reserved for the advanced diver, who has dived the other sites in the bay and is looking for something different, or who is desperate for a dive at low tide!
Parking for the divesite is at the end of Shoal Bay Rd, with a walk of almost 1km through the Tomaree Lodge Intellectually Disabled Village to get to the entry area. An easier option is to go to the site by boat, from the Shoal Bay boat ramp which is also only about 1km from the site. If you plan to dive at low tide make sure you check out the water clarity in Shoal Bay before you set off. If the water is clear in the bay then it should be clear at the heads, but if it is dirty in the bay don't bother going to the site as it is also likely to be dirty.
The photo below shows the divesite. This consists of a rocky headland and 2 old torpedo tube groynes. The divesite is situated between the groynes and entry is by scrambling down the rocks into the water. Once in the water the rocks form a very steep wall down to a sandy bottom at between 10-11m. The top section of the wall consists of bare rocks with lots of long spined urchins and a good variety of tropical fish over the summer months. Below 5m the rocks are covered with kelp and near the sand-line a variety of interesting sponges can also be found. This is a very fishy dive with big schools of fish hanging off the wall. Silver sweep, Yellowtail, and Mado form large schools and the kelp harbours schools of Old Wives and Red Morwongs. The sponges shelter a good selection of molluscs, a variety of urchins, and numerous other invertebrates.
This site should be reserved for the advanced diver, who has dived the other sites in the bay and is looking for something different, or who is desperate for a dive at low tide!