Enter from the shore along the right hand side of the beach (facing the sea). Keep the rock wall on your right as you head out and on your left as you head back - an easy dive site to navigate. As with any site, Shelley Beach is weather dependant - generally protected during easterly winds, which makes it diveable when a lot of other sites in the area are blown out. Viz can vary from 3 to 15M but is usually clearer during the winter months. On a good day, this is a spectacular site!
Shelly Beach
The best of the site is further out than most people get to and you do need reasonable air consumption to reach it. Swim out following the rock wall to your right, until it turns northwards and starts to peter out. Take a heading and keep going following the remnants of the rock wall on the sea floor and you should come to a kelp bed. Weedy seadragons are frequently found here and the depth should not exceed 12m.
Along the wall and amongst the big boulders, other marine life seen regularly is the divine eastern blue gropers (wrasse), schools of yellowtail and big eyes, mados and often pike. Red Morwongs, goatfish in the sandy area, flatheads and often ludericks and old wives. Under ledges shrimps galore and often juvenile lionfish. Port Jackson sharks and giant cuttlefish are common in season and wobbegongs sleep in crevices and under the big boulders.
