Where we dive
Most of the dive sites we visit are in and around Port Phillip Bay. They range from shallow pier dives (perfect for photography, training, testing out new gear, night dives etc.) to deeper sites only accessible by boat. There are also the back beaches and Western Port Bay, so whatever the weather and wind, there's always a place to go for a great dive.
Here are a few of the dive sites we visit frequently.
Wilsoms Prom
Not only the pearl of Victorian landscape, but also a brilliant all-day diving location. With multiple steep wall dives, rocky formations, biggest fish schools in the area and home best visibility!
Philip Island
Magnificent site featuring a stunning boiler-wreck George Kermode as well as the iconic Pinnacles.
Blairgowrie Pier
This pier has a maximum depth of around 5 meter and is considered one of the best pier dives in Victoria. There's always plenty of fish and other marine life to spot. The pylons of the pier are covered in sponges. Nudibranchs seem to love this place especially the Verco's Nudibranch. You'll have a good chance to spot Giant Cuttlefish here and in the Spider Crab season, you'll have front row tickets here. There's a pontoon with a ladder that you can use to get in and out of the water and alternatively you can walk in from the beach and swim.
Flinders Pier
An excellent dive site to see Weedy Seadragons. You can find this dive spot in Western Port Bay and it's subject to tides. It's best to dive Flinders Pier at high tide as there's not much depth at low tide and getting in and out of the water isn't as easy then. There are lower areas of the pier with stairs to get in and out or you can enter and exit from the beach.
Lonsdale Wall
Lonsdale Wall is an almost vertical wall that is about a kilometer long. This dive site is located in Port Phillip Bay close to the heads and you'll find lots of different fish here like the Blue Devil (our boat's namesake), Leatherjackets and Morwong. Crayfish and Cuttlefish are often spotted here as well. This is an excellent site for a drift dive.
J Class submarines
The J Class submarines were scuttled outside the heads in 1926. They were built in 1915-1916 and were the fastest submarines at the time. They were used in WWI and later gifted to the Royal Australian Navy. There were 7 J Class submarines and the J1, J2, J4 and J5 are scuttled at various depths.
The J4 is the one we dive on most often and this one sits in about 26 meter of water. You can swim inside the J4, but this site is prone to surges due to the location. You can get sucked in or pushed out of the wreck when it's very surgy. This surge does prevent silting, so it's one of Melbourne's best wreck dives.
ex HMAS Canberra
This scuttled ex navy ship sits in about 28 meters depth with the top of the mast in 5 meter. She's 138 meter long and 14.3 meter wide and has been prepared especially for diving. Large holes are cut in the sides so it's easy to access and exit it. The bridge has been left on and you can swim through it and see the captain's chair. There's an abundance of marine life on this wreck and it's a great divesite. It's located around 6km from Point Lonsdale, so outside of the bay and approximately 2-3 offshore from Ocean Grove.
