Meet the site
Bare Back Cove is one of the string of small quartz-sand coves on the eastern Prom between Refuge Cove and Waterloo Bay, and Parks Victoria's park note lists it, with Horn Point and Waterloo Bay, among the Prom's popular locations for experienced divers. Scuba Doctor calls it a safe site suitable for scuba diving from a boat and snorkelling from the shore, facing north into Bass Strait with low waves at the shore. The beach is about 50 m of coarse white quartz sand with seagrass in the deeper water off it, and the dive is on the granite boulders at the southern end, which run out and around the headland from 2 m to 30 m. Those boulders host, in the listing's words, sponges, ascidian sea squirts, gorgonian sea fans and zoanthid yellow sea daisies, and their crevices hold bullseyes, blue devilfish and bearded cod – the last a species divers rarely see elsewhere in Victoria, sitting in the darkest holes. The kelp and seagrass shallows have wrasse, leatherjackets, old wives and cuttlefish, and the sand between holds stingarees and flathead. Overnight walkers on the Prom's eastern circuit pass through the cove and it is a pleasant snorkel from the beach for them; for scuba divers it is a boat site reached from Port Welshpool, usually combined with Waterloo Bay's north wall 1.2 km to the south or Larkin Cove and Brown Head Pinnacle to the north. Its shelter from southerly and westerly winds makes it a useful anchorage and a good first or last dive of an eastern Prom trip, and its range – seagrass, boulders and sponge-covered rock to 30 m – gives every level of diver something.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Bare Back Cove is recorded as Reef in Wilsons Promontory. The listed access is boat. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Planned depth
- Confirm the intended route and training requirements; the recorded maximum is not a target.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Bare Back Cove suitable for my certification?
The record lists Advanced Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Bare Back Cove through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Sponges, ascidians, gorgonian sea fans, zoanthids, bullseyes, blue devilfish, bearded cod, wrasse, leatherjackets, old wives, cuttlefish, stingarees, seagrass
Location
Small north-facing cove of coarse white quartz sand between Larkin Cove and Waterloo Bay on the eastern side of Wilsons Promontory, with granite boulders at its southern end.
Facilities nearby
Departure from Tidal River beach ramp, Port Welshpool or Sandy Point; No air fills at Tidal River or Port Welshpool; the nearest compressor is roughly 100 km away (Melbourne's south-east or Inverloch/Leongatha area by arrangement) – bring all cylinders or a portable compressor
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
scubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.