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Written by Nick Missenden (Dive Leader, SDA) 
Location / How to get there
Bare Island, Anzac Parade, La Perouse.
Bare Island is located at the southern end of Anzac Parade.
Park your vehicle close to the road that leads down to the island itself. Local creatures    
Your typical creatures can be found here including Grouper, Goat Fish, all types of Wrasse, Sweep, PJ’s, Stingrays, Bream, Octopus, Leatherjackets, Cuttlefish, Morwong, all manner of Seahorses including our beloved Weedy Seadragon and some not so typical creatures, including various Anglerfish, Eastern Blue Devil Fish, Spotted Gurnards, Pipehorses, Pipefish including the Robust Pipefish and Velvet Fish. I have found that this site also has a great variety of Nudibranchs and some not so often seen at the island, these include, Ceratosoma Brevicaudatum (Short-tailed Ceratosoma), Neodoris Chrysoderma, Polycera Capensis, Tambja sp 1, Okenia Hallucigenia, Chromodoris Tasmanesis, Jorunna sp1. Amenities
A toilet block is located approximately 50 metres from Bare Island toward the city.
There are a couple of food shops located across the park from Bare Island. Here you can purchase a variety of foods including fish and chips, cooked breakfast for those early morning dives, and the usual hamburgers, salads etc.
Experience Level
This dive should be undertaken by the experienced diver with a good air consumption rate.
Precautions inc Wind, Waves, Currents, Tides
This dive is located at the rear of the island and should only be done on the incoming tide. Strong currents can be experienced here on a regular basis. As the rear of the island is exposed to swell and the wind you should make sure that the entry point is calm. Watch the entry point for a couple of minutes at least as the swell works in sets. Often when you arrive at the entry point and it looks relatively flat, you gear up and head to the ledge only to find that a big set of waves are rolling in and quickly put you on your backside. Always keep your eyes on the water when gearing up. Never turn you back on the sea. Best time to dive
The best time to dive this site is on the incoming tide, probably about an hour before the high would be ideal as the clean water coming into the bay helps with good visibility. Where to enter/exit
This is dependant upon the conditions. When the seas are calm and there is a gentle swell entry should be made at the Southwest corner of the island. Once you enter the water, surface swim out about 25 metres before you descend. You can exit at the cutting on the west side. Navigation
Once you descend head directly South until you reach the South wall drop off which should only take you
a couple of minutes. As you descend down the South wall you will reach a depth of approximately 18 metres. Once you hit the sand line you will notice that the reef runs in a east west direction. Turn to your east and follow the reef to it starts to turn to bare rock. Here you can turn around and head back the way you came. Continue along the reef to where you descended the wall and ascend here. Head in a Northerly direction until you get to the wall where you entered. Follow the contour of the island in a North Westerly direction and exit at the cutting on the Western side of the island. Points of interest
This is a fantastic part of the island which is home to some of the more beautiful sponge gardens. There is always a chance here that you will get to see some of the rarer creatures that inhabit this magnificent dive site. Tips (from the pro)
Do not attempt this dive on an outgoing tide as there is a high likelihood that you will be swept out to sea as the currents can be very strong on this deep exposed reef wall. Make sure that when entering the water have your B.C inflated, mask on, regulator in your mouth and fins on. Having your fins on here helps to quickly kick away from the rocks as soon as you enter, preventing you from being dragged over some of the shallow rocks. I have started diving this site at night and found it to be a fantastic night dive. There are numerous Nudibranchs that come out at night which I haven’t seen before. In very low visibility situations always trust your compass as you can quickly get disorientated.
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