Written by Px (Instructor SDA)

Location / How to get get there.

Check out your street directory for Clovelly. Follow Clovelly Rd all the way down the hill and turn right toward Gordon's Bay (Thompson's Bay) around 100m further south, This whole area is one gigantic car park.
Park at the south western end of the car park which is clearly labelled as Gordon's Bay on a large sign.
Gear up here and proceed along the cement footpath until it veers left towards the water. The footpath actually runs all the way to the water line.
The entry is made from here.

Local creatures.Local creatures.

It is not unusual to spot nudibranchs, pipefish, pineapple fish and Eastern Blue Devilfish in the nooks and crannies along the wall.

Amenities.

Toilet blocks are closeby, near the surf club.
There isn't much in the way of food until you drive back up the hill into Clovelly.

Experience Level.

In the right (flat) conditions, Beginners to Advanced.

Best time to dive.

Westerly winds, light north easterly winds and low swells.
Apart from the entry, this region isn't as affected by the tides as much as other sites.                                                                   

Where to enter/exit.

Enter and exit where the footpath enters the water.
If you have trouble exiting because of the swell, continue into the bay away from tghe open ocean until the swell subsides. This will unfortunately leave you with a tricky walk with gear across rocks to get back to the path.

Navigation.

Once you have followed the concrete footpath to the water line, make your way into the water and head straight out across the bay or due south.
The rock platform will give way to a sandy region and you should be able to pick up the chain which heads in the direction you need to go.
Within around 50m the chain will diverge left and right.
If you follow the chain to the right (or into the bay) you will notice a pronounced wall which has many nooks and crannies for you to take your time and look at carefully. I am always surprised by what I find in this area.
Continuing down the slope into deeper water (14m) you will find yourself in the middle of the bay at the bottom of a distict valley.
Heading up the sandy slope (sand dune) of this valley wall will bring you to a shallow reef system which is worth a little investigation.
The chain appears and disappears under the sand along this route as well.

Points of interest.

Parts of the chain, the wide sand area before teh dropoff (sand dwellers, stingrays)
The channel, the sand dune on the south side of the bay and the wall which runs into the bay.

Tips (from the pro)

Do not attempt this entry and exit if the swell is up.
You may be able to get into the water but you may also find yourself with a very scary exit as the pullback from the waves and the boulders at the exit are quite a handful for the less experienced diver.
This site makes for an excellent night dive in calm conditions.