Grey Nurse Shark Aggregation — Fish Rock Cave

About this spectacle

Each winter, grey nurse sharks — large, prehistoric-looking sharks with ragged, needle-like teeth and surprisingly docile temperaments — congregate in the underwater caves and gutters surrounding Fish Rock, a small rocky outcrop off South West Rocks on the New South Wales coast. Divers descend through the famous Fish Rock Cave, a swim-through passage that cuts through the rock, emerging into open water where dozens of grey nurse sharks rest almost motionless in the current, their pale bellies catching the faint light filtering down from above. The experience is profoundly still: hovering alongside these animals in the deep blue, watching their gills pulse slowly, is unlike almost any other dive encounter in Australia. Schools of fish drift through the cave system, and occasional wobbegong sharks and rays share the space. The sharks show no aggression, allowing close, unhurried observation. Visibility in the channel can be excellent, and the sheer density of sharks — sometimes dozens in a single gutter — makes this one of the most visually arresting shark aggregation dives in the Southern Hemisphere.

When to go

Apr — Oct, peak Jun — Aug

Getting there

Nearest airport: SYD. Nearest city: Port Macquarie.

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