Underneath Wollongong’s iconic lighthouse (well, one of them) is Flagstaff Point. Compared to Bass Point or Hill 60 it is a moderately sized headland that offers some good snorkelling and diving, with options on the northern and southern sides depending on weather and swell.
In this article we explore the south side via scuba but there is lots to see on snorkel. There is plenty of parking and paths down to the rock platform are well formed. The best entry/exit point is marked on the video. As always, take note of tide and swell. There is always a bail out option of a swim to the beach but there can be a strong current heading out to sea along the rocks, especially if the swell picks up.
There is a lot of habitat structure at Flagstaff Point. By this I mean that there is a diversity of habitats such as boulders, overhangs, some sandy areas (note the flathead and the ray in the video) and a vertical wall at the eastern end. This mix provides shelter for some animals and the exposed areas favour others. The mix helps contribute to a diversity of species including some thick colonies of red and green zoanthids (similar to anenomes) on the walls and caves for cuttlefish and fish like juvenile bullseyes to hide. I was drawn the habitat issue after a snorkel earlier in the week off Coledale rockpool where, at least where I looked, the seabed is flat rock with little or no habitat structure, and very few species of fish.
Flagstaff Point also attracts ocean predators like kingfish, which come in to hunt small fish like the yellowtail that star at the beginning of the video. The flathead are also hunters as is the cave dwelling wirrah cod, a moderately sized predator on other fish. Everyone is on the look out for food!