Location and Access

The site is located only a few hundred metres off Royal National Park on the southern outskirts of the city. It was named after a squatter's hut built a long time ago into the side of the rocky cliff. After leaving Port Hacking travel till you are the southern end of the township of Bundeena.

Description

The site is probably Sydney's best boat dive and one of the best dive sites in NSW. The dive site itself is formed by a dramatic drop-off from the reef top. The reef top is nothing very special; it is covered by kelp and sea urchins. Once you reach the edge of the reef it is like looking at whole different world.

The walls that go down to the sand at 28 metres are completely covered by plant and animal life of all different shapes and sizes. Because of its distance from the city, water visibility is often not a problem averaging about 15 metres. Having descended the anchor line swim in an easterly direction till you hit the sand. Continuing on change your direction and head south till you reach 'the cave' which you can swim through from either side.

Having past this there is a wall that continues for roughly 50 metres and at the 20 metre mark you should see "The tunnel' (still heading south). After entering the tunnel check first if there is a wobbegong blocking the middle section. The normal exit is by ascending vertically for a short distance before going up at a 45 degree angle to your right. If you have bottom time remaining, return to the sand and follow the wall to the north.

30 metres past the cave there is a low overhang and further on there is a larger one that can be entered. On returning to the anchor you are sure to have blue gropers, comb fish, eastern king wrasse, crimson banded wrasse and Maori wrasse following you.

While descending the anchor line you will see the reason why Barren's Hut is so famous.... FISH.

There are literally millions of them; Blue Groper, Yellowtail Kingfish, one spot-pullers, ladder-finned pomfrets and huge schools of yellowtail. In the nooks and crannies that are all over the wall you should find eastern blue devils and cuttlefish. The wall is covered by giant jelly, solitaire corals, Gabo Island soft coral, wandering anemones and supports bream, snapper, old wife and numerous of other fish.

The boulders that you encounter during the dive also support a huge variety of sponges, ascidians, sea fans, soft corals and nudibranchs. Also a lot of small fish live here, pygmy leatherjackets, snakeskin wrasse, old wife and Gunther's Butterfly fish. During winter there are also Port Jackson sharks in this area.