[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":228},["ShallowReactive",2],{"leaderboard-total":3,"spot-seo-fish-rock-cave-offshore":9,"spot-fish-rock-cave-offshore":51},{"entries":4,"total":5,"period":6,"type":7,"generated_at":8},[],0,"all_time","reports","2026-10-03T06:32:05.526386Z",{"title":10,"description":11,"canonical_url":12,"og_image":13,"structured_data":14,"breadcrumbs":44},"Snorkeling Conditions at Fish Rock Cave (offshore) - How's the Spot","Check snorkeling conditions at Fish Rock Cave (offshore), New South Wales. Good conditions, water 21.3°C, waves 0.58m","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fspots\u002Ffish-rock-cave-offshore","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.syd1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\u002Fspots\u002Fimport_fish-rock-cave-offshore_0_9cb76142482a.jpg",[15,28],{"@context":16,"@type":17,"name":18,"description":19,"url":12,"geo":20,"address":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org","Place","Fish Rock Cave (offshore)","Fish Rock Cave is Australia's only true ocean cave snorkel and dive site, a 120–125 metre tunnel piercing right through Fish Rock Island, 2 km off Smoky Cape at South West Rocks. Enter the cathedra...",{"@type":21,"latitude":22,"longitude":23},"GeoCoordinates",-30.894224,153.040134,{"@type":25,"addressRegion":26,"addressCountry":27},"PostalAddress","New South Wales","Australia",{"@context":16,"@type":29,"name":30,"description":11,"url":12,"breadcrumb":31},"WebPage","Snorkeling Conditions at Fish Rock Cave (offshore)",{"@context":16,"@type":32,"itemListElement":33},"BreadcrumbList",[34,39,42],{"@type":35,"position":36,"name":37,"item":38},"ListItem",1,"Home","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com",{"@type":35,"position":40,"name":26,"item":41},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fexplore?region=new-south-wales",{"@type":35,"position":43,"name":18,"item":12},3,[45,47,49],{"label":37,"href":46},"\u002F",{"label":26,"href":48},"\u002Fexplore?region=new-south-wales",{"label":18,"href":50},"\u002Fspots\u002Ffish-rock-cave-offshore",{"id":52,"name":18,"slug":53,"latitude":22,"longitude":23,"description":54,"difficulty":55,"image_url":13,"status":56,"tide_constituents":57,"hazard_entries":108,"access_info_structured":156,"area_boundary":113,"routes":113,"created_at":165,"updated_at":166,"today_conditions":167,"today_verdict_view":188,"images":215,"submitted_by":225,"region_name":26,"verification_status":227,"verified_at":113,"disputed":173,"verifier_count":5,"last_verified_display_name":113},"f370a8b2-fc7d-4d2a-9efb-ad64f78a4c8a","fish-rock-cave-offshore","Fish Rock Cave is Australia's only true ocean cave snorkel and dive site, a 120–125 metre tunnel piercing right through Fish Rock Island, 2 km off Smoky Cape at South West Rocks. Enter the cathedral-like cavern at 24 metres depth through the southern entrance, pass through vertical chimneys lined with painted crayfish, and emerge at the spectacular shallow blue exit framed by gorgonian sea fans. The site is world-renowned for year-round grey nurse shark aggregations, plus wobbegong sharks, bull rays, green turtles, giant cuttlefish, and massive schools of bullseyes. Accessible only by boat with local operators, this is a bucket-list spot for experienced snorkellers and divers on the NSW North Coast.","advanced","published",{"name":58,"amplitude":74,"phase":90,"latitude":22,"model":106,"epoch":107},[59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73],"2N2","J1","K1","K2","M2","M4","MF","MM","N2","O1","P1","Q1","S1","S2","T2",[75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89],0.031227890025876046,0.010549072316014211,0.18039529128356255,0.027866397029941283,0.5323275259233567,0.003435038740603077,0.0029766810882649254,0.003817262786835842,0.11066148659308787,0.09741705649133534,0.055622300059713185,0.018487728840452414,0.014740371249039956,0.13127908169092767,0.005955039274901639,[91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105],286.91707977188673,359.5959774758693,340.58544776734016,287.3037169009146,302.71049355505244,317.54362202870567,193.77229815407134,306.69532386767,295.7927961414678,314.05692696490723,339.4984149845396,280.0179613370983,338.0286824670515,315.3444291245008,342.4141842446032,"EOT20","1992-01-01T00:00:00Z",[109,114,119,122,125,128,131,134,137,140,144,147,150,153],{"name":110,"description":111,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Strong Ocean Currents","Drift conditions around Fish Rock can produce strong currents, particularly near the cave entrances and around the island's points.","warning",null,{"name":115,"description":116,"severity":117,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Limited Visibility in Cave","The 125 m cave tunnel has reduced light and can have stirred sediment, making orientation challenging for inexperienced swimmers.","caution",12,{"name":120,"description":121,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Boat Traffic","The site is accessed by boat and lies 2 km offshore; snorkelers must stay aware of tour boat and vessel movements in the area.",{"name":123,"description":124,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Depth Changes","The cave drops below snorkeling depth limits and the surrounding reef has sharp depth transitions; snorkelers should stay near the surface entrances.",{"name":126,"description":127,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Marine Life Encounters","Grey nurse sharks and occasional hammerhead sharks frequent the area; while generally non-aggressive, their presence requires calm, respectful behavior.",{"name":129,"description":130,"severity":112,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Ocean currents","Strong north-south currents can run around Fish Rock, particularly at Colorado Pass and the Shark Gutters. The cave can only be dived in manageable conditions.",{"name":132,"description":133,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Low visibility inside cave","Silt can be easily stirred up inside the 125 m tunnel, reducing visibility to near-zero. Good buoyancy control is essential.",{"name":135,"description":136,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Confined space & darkness","The cave is narrow, dark, and enclosed — not suitable for claustrophobic divers. Two vertical chimney ascents require torchlight navigation.",{"name":138,"description":139,"severity":117,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Depth at entrance","The deep entrance starts at 24 m, requiring careful depth management to avoid decompression obligations.",{"name":141,"description":142,"severity":143,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Depth and cave navigation","Cave entrances at 12 m and 24 m depth with overhead environment; strong snorkellers only, surface swim around the island recommended.","danger",{"name":145,"description":146,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Marine stings","Seasonal jellyfish and bluebottles possible in coastal waters off South West Rocks, particularly in summer months (Nov–Mar).",{"name":148,"description":149,"severity":143,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Overhead cave environment","The 120m tunnel has no natural light in the middle sections; snorkellers\u002Fdivers must traverse a confined overhead environment with limited exit options.",{"name":151,"description":152,"severity":112,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Depth hazard","The southern entrance descends to 24m depth — beyond recreational snorkelling limits and requiring advanced dive qualifications.",{"name":154,"description":155,"severity":117,"season_start":36,"season_end":118},"Boat traffic","Located 2 km offshore, the site is accessed by boat charter; snorkellers must be aware of boat traffic and mooring lines in the area.",{"directions":157,"parking":158,"facilities":159,"fees":163,"access_method":164},"Fish Rock Cave lies 2 km southeast of Smoky Cape, off South West Rocks on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Access is by boat only — several local dive\u002Fsnorkel charter operators (South West Rocks Dive Centre, Fish Rock Dive) run trips from the South West Rocks boat ramp or jetty. The town is approximately 4.5 hours' drive north of Sydney.","Parking is available near the South West Rocks boat ramp and at the main beach carpark on Gregory Street, South West Rocks.",[160,161,162],"toilets","parking","showers","Charter fees apply — expect approximately $100–180 per person for a guided snorkel\u002Fdive trip including gear hire. 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