Sydney Dive Academy - Bottle and Glass Point

Bottle and Glass Point

Written by Llyle Sawyer (Instrcutor Certifier, SDA)

Location / How to get there:

Western side of Vaucluse Bay – North eastern point of Nielson Park.

Local creatures:

Moray eels, stingarees, frogmouth fish, variable nudibranch, dwarf lionfish, cardinal fish, beardies, sea spiders, crested horn shark, gobies, blennies and stinkfish, fortesque, scorpion cod, cow fish, mosaic and fan belly leatherjackets to name a few.

Amenities:

Toilets 300 m west in Nielson Park, Kiosk at Nielson Park Baths

Experience Level:

An easy site for all levels of divers, the maximum depth is ~17m, an average depth ~8m.

Precautions inc Wind, Waves, Currents, Tides:

This site can be prone to rough water in strong north-westerly winds. Watch the tides - best on a flood tide to high tide slack water. Visibility can be an issue here so use good buoyancy control and stay off the silt bottom. Be aware of overhead boating, both motor craft and sailing yachts, including windsurfers.

Best time to dive:

Best on a flood tide coming up to high tide slack water, the water will be the cleanest.

Where to enter/exit:

Enter and exit off the rock platform to the south of Bottle and Glass Rock itself, this is just north of the last house on the Vaucluse Bay waterfront.

Navigation:

Snorkel out east to the edge of the rock platform, descend here and follow the rock platform edge north. This will traverse past Bottle and Glass Rock, as you do so you will be turning west. Continue west along the northern side of the rock ledge and you will be in front of Nielson Park. Depending on your dive plan you can either; turn north and head out into the bay over the seaweed beds then swing back south-south east to come back to Bottle and Glass Rock, or continue west along the rock platform and boulders to exit at Nielson Park beach. Alternatively you could just plan to turn around and head back in the reverse route to which you came.

Points of interest:

The cracks and ledges in the rock platform are home to a myriad of small marine life. This is a good night dive site or a site for those who like to take their time and look in all the nooks and crannies, it also makes an great alternative site for when all else is blown out from a south-easterly gale.

Tips (from the pro):

Maintain good buoyancy control, stay off the bottom to avoid silting out the visibility, take time and look in the rock crevices and search among the seaweed, this area can be a nursery for a variety of fish. Do not go too far out into the bay unless you like sand and silt, also be aware that boats often come close to shore in this area. For traversing out onto the sandy areas a guide line is recommended.

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