Training (Lucys) Wall

The Training Wall, also known as Lucys Wall by Swansea locals I believe, is a surprisingly good little critter dive for such a shallow site. It only gets to about 5m and for much of the length of the wall is it more like 3m. It is a good, safe night dive but its real attraction is that it a site that is dive-able in almost all conditions. The only thing that would stop you diving this site is a very heavy (3m+) easterly swell. To find the site, head towards Swansea Heads until you come across the large park. The site is on the westerly side of the park.

The site is a good option as a first dive before doing Swansea Bridge on slack water at high tide. Whilst this dive is not tide dependent, my preference is to do it as the tide is running in to get the best Vis conditions. To dive the site, I enter the water at the boat ramp adjacent to the wall and start my dive from around the end of the pier next to the ramp. You could equally climb over the rocks right at the wall or giant stride off the pier (be careful as it is a little shallow).

Navigation couldn't really be easier, you just follow the western side of the rock wall out, checking out the reef structure and extensive sea grass beds for critters as you go. At the end of the wall you will find large schools of fish including Luderick (Girella tricuspidata) and Silver Bream (Acanthopagrus australis). Provided a swell is not running you can then make your way down the easterly side of the wall until you want to head back. I prefer to head back the way I came but if it is calm and scrambling over rocks to get out is your bag then this is an option as well.

The Training Wall site is clearly a nursery for fish. You will find many juvenile fish amongst the structure and in the sea grass beds. The site is also rich with critter life including nudibranchs which given the depth is quite remarkable. I consider this site a little like Terrigal Haven in that I would not be surprised by any critter that turned up here.