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SOLITARY ISLANDS

The Solitary Islands Marine Park is a unique blend of tropical, sub-tropical and temperature marine life.

The Solitary Islands are a group of five off-shore islands located just off the east coast of Australia, half way between Sydney and Brisbane. They stretch north and south for around 75 kilometres (47 mi).

Locally, they are referred to as either the North Solitary Islands or the South Solitary Islands.

In 1998, the Solitary Islands Marine Park was the first marine park declared by the New South Wales Government which now protects the five islands. The islands are also referred to as the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve under Commonwealth Waters.

The diverse marine life around the islands is a unique blend of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate species due to the mixing of the south flowing East Australia Current and the north flowing nutrient-rich southern currents.

Researchers have identified over 550 reef fish, 90 hard corals and 600 mollusc species around the islands.

The northern islands are much more tropical than the south islands and have a large and diverse collection of tropical hard coral, whereas the more temperate southern group has a diverse array of more temperate plant life. Quite a contrast!

Premier dive sites include Bay of Anemones in the northern group and Manta Arch in the southern group.

The islands are a source of dozens of great dives sites, all well serviced by dive operators located in Coffs Harbour in the south, and Mulloway in the middle.

To protect the underwater environment, there are public moorings and some sites, such as Pimpernel Rock, require a permit.

The underwater terrain is spectacular; there are caves, walls and canyons where the rock faces are just covered in marine life.

Divers can mix with large schools of pelagic fish including vortexes of yellowtail kingfish, Spanish mackerel and mulloway in summer, and experience grey nurse sharks and giant cuttlefish in the cooler winter months.

The list of potential underwater encounters is huge and includes turtles, manta rays, bull rays, batfish and Spanish dancers – just to mention a few!

Some even claim the Solitary Islands boasts the world’s most dense population of anemone fish.

During the boat trip out, pods of bottlenose dolphins are a common encounter, and over the winter months majestic humpback whales can be seen on their winter migration to and from Antarctica.

Another premier dive site is an isolated underwater pyramid in the north of the island chain called Pimpernel Rock. The huge rock ascends from a sandy bottom at around 40 metres (130’) to 10 metres (30’) at the top of the pinnacle. There are swim-throughs, large boulders, tunnels, overhangs and gorges with steep walls, all teeming with life.

As a result of the mixture of ocean currents the fish life is extraordinary!

Copyright © 2024 Steve Sinclair

Other great dive sites to visit while you are there:

Anemone Bay, The Step, Bubble Cave, Split Bommie and Bullocky Reef.

Local dive services:

Other services:

	BLAST EXPERIENCES www.blastexperiences.com.au  callum@blastexperiences.com.au   +61 (0) 408 950 889