Weatherhead Point (Freycinet)

Meet the site

Weatherhead Point is on the western, sheltered side of the Freycinet Peninsula, across Promise Bay from Coles Bay. The Marine Life Network guide rates it 6 out of 10 and describes a volcanic reef running along dolerite cliffs, with a shallow, sheltered dive of 6-12 m.

The dolerite here makes a change from the granite typical of the rest of the Freycinet coast: expect columnar, blocky rock and ledges rather than rounded boulders. Brown algae cover the reef, with leatherjackets and wrasse the most common fish. The guide notes that the site is often dived on the return journey from Schouten Island, as it is close to the route back to Coles Bay.

Although it is not spectacular, Weatherhead Point is a dependable second dive, sheltered from the prevailing easterly weather on the ocean side. It suits Open Water divers and allows a long, relaxed profile.

As with all Freycinet diving, there is no operator or air in Coles Bay, so divers must arrive with their own boat and equipment. The Freycinet coastline above water is spectacular from this angle, with the Hazards and Mount Graham towering over Promise Bay.

Some context helps set expectations for all Freycinet diving. The peninsula's pink granite continues under water as rounded boulders, cracks and steep faces, and the area sits where the warm East Australian Current meets cooler southern water, so species lists mix typical Tasmanian fish with more northern visitors. Over recent decades warming water and grazing by the long-spined sea urchin, which has spread south from New South Wales, have thinned kelp beds along the east coast, and descriptions written in the 1990s may not match what you find today.

What you might see

Leatherjackets, wrasse, brown algae, sponges, reef fish

Location

Volcanic (dolerite) reef along the cliffs of Weatherhead Point on the western side of the Freycinet Peninsula, across Promise Bay from Coles Bay.