Poor Knights Middle Arch
DESCRIPTION
Dive Site Review & photos by Deralie Flower
There are some dive sites that I just enjoy going back to again and again and again – Middle Arch at the Poor Knights’ Marine Reserve is one of those sites. For me, Middle Arch has it all – I have never had a disappointing dive at Middle Arch!
One of the best things about the Poor Knights’ is that most sites can be dived shallow, deep or anything in-between. Middle Arch is great because you can have a boat full of divers of all sorts of experience and ability, and everybody will have a great dive. It is also sufficiently sheltered to be diveable in most conditions. Boats usually moor in the sheltered bay at the southeastern side of the arch. As you look at the arch from this end, Bernie’s cave is to the left of the arch. I usually start my dive at Bernie’s cave – which is actually more of a small cavern than a cave – as you don’t leave the ambient light zone. I do this bit first with the rationale that I have a full tank of gas and haven’t accumulated much nitrogen yet.
Before you descend, take a few moments to check out the crimson Waratah Anemones just below the water line. The wall just above the cave entrance also has some nice soft corals, and in spring usually has a lovely display of Bluebell Tunicates. Gem and Tambja verconis nudibranchs often hang out here too. It’s about 16m to the sand at the cave entrance, where you will usually see the resident pair of Lord Howe coral fish. These guys are a little shy, but I have seen them there EVERY dive, you just need to be patient and quietly peek around the boulders at the cave entrance. At the back of the cave is a little ledge, with a concrete frog and teddy bear. Turn and put these two behind you then look up, you will see the air bubble in the cave. You can surface in here – check out your depth (still about 8m!) – and have a quick chat to your buddy. Be aware that the air in the bubble can get a little stale, so be ready to breathe from your regulator. The air bubble can fit two or three people at a time. On your descent and exit out of the cave, don’t forget to stop while you face out towards the cave entrance and admire the view!
After the cave, I head toward the arch itself. Occasionally there can be currents in the arch, so it pays not to go too far in before assessing the conditions. Follow the left wall along and look for stingrays in between the large boulders and over the kelp at the far end. Yellow and speckled moray eels are also often seen looking up at you from gaps in the boulders. Even with only reasonable visibility, you can usually see across to the other wall from the middle of the arch, make your way along toward the kelp, then cross to the right hand wall just before the arch widens and the wall disappears from view. The boulders on the bottom of the arch are at about 16m at the front and sloping up to about 12m as you go through. Both ends eventually drop off again, sloping down eventually to 70m-ish out from either end.
The right hand wall is one of my favourite bits of the arch. There are some lovely finger sponges and encrusting life. I’ve seen a small Conger eel there a couple of times, and there are often Grey and Mosaic morays too. Clown nudibranchs usually abound, along with Scorpionfish. Don’t forget to keep looking down for cool stuff amongst the boulders too! I gradually make my way up the wall in the bay and do a safety stop there. Large schools of Snapper, Blue Maomao and Demoiselles congregate in the bay, often under the boat.
If you are planning a long dive, an alternative route is to add in a trip down to the boulders at the near end of the arch after your visit to the cave. There is often an enormous Speckled moray who lives here, Crayfish and Spanish Lobsters, as well as being good Stingray territory. You can then work your way up to the arch entrance. For a deeper dive, go through the arch, or towards the point around the left side of the arch, where the bottom slopes away to 70m (eventually… you might want to take a scooter) giving you plenty of depth ranges to plan your dive in. Bronze whaler sharks are sometimes spotted off the far end of the arch or out at the point.
On the other hand, some of my favourite dives at Middle Arch have been when I see so much that I haven’t needed to travel more that 20m, so don’t worry if you can’t get around the whole dive site in one dive – you will be back! Oh, and Middle Arch also gets the best sunsets. What more could you want?
