South West Rocks: Where Currents Meet

Nicolas Remy · Issue 147, Nov/Dec 2025 · pp. 49–54

Products mentioned: Nikon D500, Tokina 10-17mm, Inon z240, Nauticam housing

When fellow divers find out that underwater photography is what I do for a living, the conversation almost always leads to one question: What are your favourite places to dive? After years of diving across tropical and temperate waters, my top-five list always includes these three words: South West Rocks. This unassuming coastal town, nestled on Australia’s mid-north coast in New South Wales, sits in the heart of the Great Southern Reef—a vast chain of temperate ecosystems stretching thousands of kilometres around the southern half of the continent. South West Rocks is the gateway to Fish Rock, a lonely island two kilometres offshore that shelters an astonishing diversity of marine life and the world’s longest swim- through ocean cave simply known as Fish Rock Cave, with 125m in length. Declared a Mission Blue Hope Spot in 2021, it’s one of those places where tropical and temperate speci…