Broughton Island The Looking Glass - Sydney & New South Wales
El Laberinto feels exactly like its name suggests: a maze, but the kind you actually want to get lost in. It’s perfect for those days when you just want to wander, taking your time to poke into every crack and crevice. We often start shallow, around 5 or 6 metres, where the light still plays on the sandy patches, illuminating little communities of Banded Cleaner Shrimp scuttling over sponges. As you drift deeper, the reef transitions into a gentle wall that bottoms out at about 15 metres on a bright white sand floor. This contrast is striking, and it’s where we often find ourselves lingering, watching for Broadnose Worm Eels poking their heads out or the distinctive flash of a Slippery Dick darting into cover. The visibility here is usually very good, often 15-20 metres, which makes spotting tiny Blackfin Blennies a real treat. We love this site for its relaxed pace; it’s a brilliant spot for newer divers to build confidence, but even experienced eyes will find plenty to keep them occupied, especially in the towering coral formations where juvenile Spot Snappers hide. Bring a good macro lens if you have one; the small stuff really shines here.
- Location
- Sydney & New South Wales, Australia, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -32.629300, 152.316600
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Little Broughton Island
Nearby Dive Sites in Sydney & New South Wales
- 3 mile Bommie (cave)
- 3 mile Bommie (reef)
- 3rd Gutter (reef)
- 3rd Gutter
- 4th-5th Reefs - 5-20m (reef)
- 7th and 8th Reefs (reef)
- Acheron Ledge (reef)
- Adelaide (Wreck) (wreck)
- Adelaide (Wreck) (wreck)
- Adreno (diving gear)
- Avoca (drift)
- Avoca
- Bait Reef (reef)
- Balmoral Baths
- Bare Island East (wall)
Nearest Dive Centres to Broughton Island The Looking Glass
- Abyss Scuba Diving - ["PADI"]
- Aquatic Explorers
- CENTRAL COAST DIVERS - SSI
- Deep Sensations Pty Ltd
- Dive Centre Bondi - ["PADI"]
- Dive Centre Manly - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Sydney & New South Wales
Home to 202 recorded species including 129 reef fish, 41 sharks & rays, 9 whales & dolphins, 5 other, 4 crabs & lobsters, 3 octopus & squid.
Notable Species
- Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) - Sharks & Rays
- Spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Bream (Acanthopagrus australis) - Reef Fish
- Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) - Sharks & Rays
- Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) - Sharks & Rays
- California Yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) - Reef Fish
- chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) - Octopus & Squid
- Banjo Shark (Trygonorrhina fasciata) - Sharks & Rays
- blubber jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus) - Jellyfish
- dory (Zeus faber) - Reef Fish
- Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Snapper (Pagrus auratus) - Reef Fish
- Silver Bream (Rhabdosargus sarba) - Reef Fish
- Bluefin Gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu) - Reef Fish
- Chubby Basketfish (Anoplocapros inermis) - Reef Fish
- Banks Shovelnose Ray (Aptychotrema rostrata) - Sharks & Rays
- Bellowfish (Macroramphosus scolopax) - Reef Fish
- gray mangrove (Avicennia marina) - Seagrass & Algae
- Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) - Reef Fish
- Common Silver Belly (Gerres subfasciatus) - Reef Fish