Victoria
Diving in Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Melbourne's bayside suburbs, from Williamstown around to Frankston, have shallow, easy shore dives: Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, Black Rock, Half Moon Bay and the Cerberus wreck, Frankston pier, and the artificial reefs and scuttled boats off St Kilda and Mordialloc. Visibility is modest but the life, especially at night, is good.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Victoria’s directory includes Port Phillip Bay, the Heads, peninsula piers and the open coast. Those labels describe different settings, not interchangeable levels of difficulty. Start by identifying the precise location and proposed trip. A record near Melbourne should not be read as an easy shore dive simply because it is close to a city.
A bay-wide search is only the first step
Port Phillip Bay records cover different access arrangements and parts of a large waterway. Select the individual location before planning travel from Melbourne. A pier record, a boat departure and a site at the Heads should not be combined into one generic description of bay diving. Check current works, access and the exact meeting point with the relevant local provider. Keep the site’s recorded depth separate from the route the operator proposes for you.
One useful question: Which part of the bay does the trip use, and where do we actually meet?
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 44 published site records in Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay. The recorded categories include shore/rock platform (19), jetty/pier (10), wreck (10), artificial reef (3). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay site cards to compare recorded access and depth, then open the individual pages for the map accuracy and source notes. Sites grouped in a region are not necessarily close enough to combine in one day.
Research operators in Victoria →Ask before booking
- Is this trip inside the bay, at the Heads or on the open coast?
- Who determines the current and weather window?
- Which exposure protection and equipment arrangements should we discuss?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 44 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: Visit Victoria — scuba diving ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Dive sites in this region
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Altona Pier
Free-parking western-suburbs training pier with a small artificial reef off its end; flat, easy and sheltered from northerlies.
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Banksia Point, Ricketts Point
Quietest entry in the sanctuary; very shallow close-in reef for snorkelling, children and relaxed night dives.
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Black Rock Jetty, Half Moon Bay
Sheltered bayside jetty beside the Cerberus hulk; one of Melbourne's favourite spring night dives for bioluminescence.
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Clarence
An 1841 Hunter River-built schooner wrecked in 1850 and lying almost complete on her port side in 5 m off St Leonards – the…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
HMVS Cerberus
The world's first breastwork monitor and only survivor of the type, scuttled as a breakwater in 1926 – now collapsed, protected…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Hurricane
An 1853 iron clipper lying in 8–12 m of sheltered bay water – stern rising 3 m with a heritage cairn, a capstan at the bow and…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
J3 Submarine (Swan Island)
The most complete J-class submarine in Victoria, upright with its deck above water 100 m off Swan Island and resting on the hulk…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Joanna
An 1856 Port Phillip-built schooner lost in 1857 with a cargo of bagged lime that set to concrete and preserved her – rigging,…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
McGregor Rock, Quiet Corner
The sheltered fallback corner of Ricketts Point; profuse fish life over shallow ledges when other bayside sites are blown out.
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Middle Brighton Pier
Melbourne's standard training and night-dive pier with a sheltered breakwater full of critters and good facilities.
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Middle Reef, Ricketts Point
Uncrowded shallow reef edge between the teahouse and the life saving club; simple night dive and a good intertidal-to-subtidal…
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Mordialloc Pier
Long, lit suburban pier with reliable macro life and an infamous shopping-trolley graveyard; easy night and training dive.
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
PS Ozone
The 1886 'Greyhound of Port Phillip' scuttled as a breakwater – paddle wheel above water, boilers and steering gear in 3 m, with…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary
Melbourne's flagship marine sanctuary: eight shallow reef entries, tame fish, sea caves and seagrass twenty minutes from the CBD,…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
SS City of Launceston
An 1863 Bass Strait steamer sunk in an 1865 collision and lying complete from keel to deck in 21 m of silt with the other ship's…
WreckMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
SS Uralba
The last wooden coal-burner built in Australia and a WWII boom-defence vessel, upright in 18 m off Carrum with foremast, water…
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Sea Scouts Jetty, Beaumaris Bay
Easiest walk-in entry near Ricketts Point via a concrete ramp, leading to a boulder field under towering sandstone cliffs with…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Table Rock, Ricketts Point
The sanctuary's best terrain: undercut ledges and a cave-like hollow under a sandstone headland, with bigger fish and rays; a…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Tea House Bay, Ricketts Point
The most sheltered and accessible water in the sanctuary, right in front of the teahouse; sand and seagrass critters plus reef…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Tea House Reef, Ricketts Point
The central reef of the sanctuary with navigable channels, dense tame fish and the best facilities of any bayside shore dive; the…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Triangle Reef, Ricketts Point
Deepest reef in the sanctuary (to 8 m) off a proper beach with showers; the sanctuary's main scuba training site and a fine night…
Shore/Rock PlatformMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Williamstown Beach Breakwater
The richest of the Williamstown shore dives: a fished-from breakwater with dense seahorse, blue-ring, nudibranch and cardinalfish…
Artificial ReefMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Aspendale Rec Reef
Concrete-module fishing reef in 11 m off Aspendale, thickly colonised and fishy; an easy small-boat dive and a study in…
Jetty/PierMelbourne & Port Phillip Bay
Gem Pier
One of Victoria's oldest piers, dived under the bow of HMAS Castlemaine; a silty urban structure dive for calm winter days.