Elphinstone — South Wall

The south wall is Elphinstone's most iconic face and the site most day-boat divers encounter first. It drops vertically from the plateau at 18 to 20 m to sand at 40 m, then continues as a steep rubble slope. The entire wall is encrusted in red and orange Dendronephthya soft corals, with crevices housing longnose hawkfish and lionfish. A marble plaque memorial to diver Arno Wallaard is fixed to the wall at 28 m. Oceanic whitetip sharks are the signature encounter here in autumn (October through December), gliding along the wall face and sometimes following divers for the full dive. The south tip provides shelter from northerly current and is also where day boats moor, making entry and exit straightforward.