Name: The area is marked on maps and charts as "Partridge Point", and the "Seal Rock" is named for the seals often seen basking on it. "Peter's Pinnacles" is named after its mapper. "Big Rock" is the highest rock above sea level of the area. The name "Deep Partridge" is simply descriptive, as it is the deep part of the Partridge Point reef complex to the east of Seal Rock. There is a small outlier reef area to the north of Seal Rock known as "Fish Tank", which was named by the divers who first dived there and recorded the position. Depth: Maximum depth is about 26 m on the sand to the east of Seal Rock but is nearer 17 m at Big Rock, and about 22 m at the swim-through south-east of Big Rock on the edge of the reef. Peter's Pinnacles is mostly about 13 m on the sand. Parts of the reef extend to the surface, and there are a number of pinnacles of about 6m depth on top. Marine life: There are extensive kelp forests in the shallower areas and a heavy cover of invertebrates on the rocks. Large shoals of small fish such as Hottentot sea bream and Fransmadam are frequently seen, and smaller groups of larger reef fish such as Roman, John Brown, Two-tone Fingerfin and Galjoen. Cryptic species such as klipfish and Redfingers are fairly common. Cape fur seals often visit divers at this site. They also spend a lot of time basking on the exposed rock named Seal Rock or floating around in small groups with their flippers waving in the air. Photography: Good site for photography. In good visibility, a wide-angle or fisheye lens will give some spectacular views of the reef structure, and there are always lots of small invertebrates to keep the macro photographer entertained. There is usually enough suspended matter in the water to make backscatter a problem, so for anything other than macro work, an external flash is recommended. Topography: This extensive reef is made up of large numbers of granite boulders and outcrops, some very large, and some of these extending above the surface by several metres. The reef is varied, some places it is low and made up of small boulders, rubble and low corestone outcrops, and in other places it is a wild chaotic jumble of huge boulders, perched on even bigger ridges and flatter outcrops, forming overhangs and swim-throughs in a few places. The reef is bounded by the sand bottom to the south and east, and to the north by the continuation of the reef complex which extends almost as far as Castle Rocks in the shallows, and is of uncertain extent in deeper water. The reef at Partridge Point is partly divided by a number of sand tongues, and sand patches, which separate the reef into a number of sub-sites, which are described in more detail below.