Bass Point, near Shellharbour, has a number of great snorkelling and scuba diving sites accessible from the shore. The ‘Gravel Loader’ wharf takes blue metal (crushed igneous rock) from the mine on the western end of Bass Point and transfers it to vessels to transfer to Sydney, where it is used in concrete.
It is an interesting place to snorkel and dive and I did my first scuba dive there after getting my certification in 1981.
Entry and exit is easy. The best place is from the old boat-launching ramp on the eastern side – see the marked-up video “2508GravelLoader YouTube”. It is also possible to jump in the water on the shoreward end of the loader.
From the boat ramp, it’s fairly shallow (2-3m) for the swim out to the central part of the loader. Marine life is attracted to the pylons and the shelter they provide and it’s possible to see large schools of old wives hanging motionless, waiting for small fish to feed on. Depending on the time of year, there may be large schools of yellowtail and one-spot pullers, both of which are plankton feeders.
In late summer, yellowtail kingfish often hang around the seaward end, waiting to prey on the yellowtail. The depth of the water at the seaward end is about 12 to 13m, so unless it’s very clear it may not be possible to see the bottom. Living on the pylons is a variety of marine life, such as jewel anemones, hydroids and sea squirts, which look like bagpipes.
The snorkel out and back crosses an area of relatively barren habitat dominated by sea urchins. This habitat is common on NSW reefs between about 2m and 13m. The urchins dominate such that very few other organisms can grow, including kelps, which provide good habitat for fish. Basically anything that settles on the rock to grow is eaten by urchins.
There are theories the urchin barrens are caused by overfishing of the urchin’s predators, which include Port Jackson sharks, blue groper and spiny lobsters. But none of these species are now overfished, although spiny lobsters were for decades, and blue groper were heavily fished many years ago.
Either urchin barrens are a long-term legacy of that overfishing and may slowly change back, or they are quite natural.
Look out for a great book on the ecology of southern Australia’s rocky reefs called Under Southern Seas. It was published 20 years ago; edited by local resident Professor Neil Andrew.
Watch more of Duncan's videos at Illawarra Underwater on YouTube.
