Black Rock Bommies - 16:00pm Friday the 9th of July 2010
Temp: 10?C
Vis: 7m
Wind: 3knots from the NE
Divers: Ben & Jason
On arrival the green starboard mark, which serves to pinpoint the position of the bommie, looked a long way off shore. We were expecting a long surface swim, but even from the elevated position of the car park it still appeared daunting.
After gearing up and getting down to water level we took a bearing on the mark, (~ 240 degrees). We walked out about 10m and put our fins on in just over 1m of water. Powering up our cameras and strobes we headed for the mark on a long surface snorkel to help conserve air. It took us about 15 minutes to get out to the mark, but it felt a lot longer. After a short rest floating above the bommies we descended down to a depth of just over 5m.
On the bottom we were greeted by the view of an extensive network of ledges and overhangs, coving about 1000 square meters.
It quickly became apparent that the most populous form of life here was the sea urchin. This provided added incentive to ensure good buoyancy control. Finning around at a relaxed pace we took a number of shots including, sweep, southern hulafish, nudibranchs, reef leatherjacket, the aforementioned sea urchins, zebrafish, and even a sea horse.
Near the middle of the bommie complex there is a large overhang come cave structure in which we were able to see several large fish, including a schnapper. This area is well shaded and quite cramped in parts making photography difficult.
After spending well in excess of 1 hour at the bommies we decided to run down our tanks with a swim back to shore. On the way back in we came across a large flathead in the weedbeds, a small stingaree in the sand, and a crab attacking a jellyfish.
This dive is worth the challenging surface swim. I anticipate that during the warmer months there would be a great deal more to see. Even in the heart of winter it is still a rewarding dive. Note: You will need gold coins for the parking meter.
