Boat Rock

Boat Rock is a rocky pinnacle off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, sitting approximately 0.5 nautical miles east of Point Lookout. This tiny outcrop barely breaks the surface and rises from the ocean floor in the shape of a spire, with near-vertical sides dropping straight down to around 25–30 metres. A ledge juts out from the rock at 15 metres depth, below which a sheer cliff face continues down through the depths. Divers can circumnavigate the base of the rock on a single dive, and a maze of rocky gutters and ledges extends around the pinnacle to depths of 30 metres.

Marine life at Boat Rock is the main draw, with schools of trevally, kingfish, fusiliers, surgeonfish, snapper and mackerel regularly encountered. Wobbegongs, Queensland gropers, stingrays and spotted eagle rays are also common, along with large pelagic sharks and barracuda, which hold station in the current waiting for prey. Bronze whaler sharks are occasionally sighted as well. Coral growth is minimal, but the fish life and pelagic action more than compensate.

Boat Rock is an exposed site with strong current nearly always running, meaning divers are often limited to the sheltered area behind the rock in the lee of the current. Visibility ranges from 5 to 20 metres. The site is tricky to anchor and can be affected by waves and variable surface conditions, making it suited to advanced or master-level divers only.