Skillion Cave - Sydney & New South Wales
Tortuga Equador feels like a proper treasure hunt, especially if you get a good briefing on the wreck's past. We love how the story adds another layer to what you’re seeing underwater. Rusty II, a smaller vessel, rests on its side, and you can poke around its exposed engine room if you’re comfortable with overheads, or just skirt the edges of the cargo holds. The visibility here averages about 9m, so it’s not always a wide-angle dream, but that actually makes the wreck feel more intimate, more atmospheric. Coral and sponge growth has really taken hold on the hull, forming crevices where you’ll spot Hand-strapped Crabs and maybe a curious Panamanian Worm Blenny peeking out. Look closely for those, they’re easy to miss. On the sandy bottom around the wreck, we often see Longtail Stingrays gliding past, and schools of Mojarra or Jacks will drift through the superstructure. It’s a great site for divers who appreciate a bit of history with their reef life, offering plenty to explore without being overly deep or demanding.
- Location
- Sydney & New South Wales, Australia, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -33.449600, 151.451900
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Bouddi
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 Skillion Cave
- 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