Explore Mornington Peninsula

Mornington Peninsula has some of the best beaches across Southern Australia. Located on the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, avid divers come to the area to dive over sixty incredible wrecks, extraordinary vertical wall dives, and shallow sites with an abundance of marco life. With such a range of sites, from calm to those with ripping currents, Mornington Peninsula diving is accessible for divers of all levels whether you’re planning your first dive or are a seasoned veteran.

Scuba diving in Mornington Peninsula is possible from a number of dive centres in the area with dive resorts less common. If you want to venture further into VIC diving, hop on visiting liveaboards to explore Australia’s southern coast.

Dive Sites Show on map

AQUATIC ADVENTURES, 3178 ROWVILLE

Blairgowrie Pier (★3.8)

Blairgowrie Pier is located in Camerons Bight on the southern shore of Port Philip between Sorrento and Rye, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. There is so much to see in this constantly changing, colorful environment across all of the different habitat types.

ADRENO MELBOURNE, 3192 CHELTENHAM

Popes Eye (★4.2)

Pope’s Eye is a sandy shoal with a partially completed bluestone fortification called the Annulus. It was to be the foundation of an island fort in the 1880’s to protect the bay.

Mares

Flinders Pier (★3.7)

Flinders Pier is the perfect alternative when Port Phillip is blown out due to northerly winds. This site is protected from these winds and is best dived during high tide. There is very little depth at low tide.

Scubapro

Rye Pier (★3.8)

Rye Pier is an L-shaped pier approximately 500 meters long. It was built in 1860 to service the lime trade. The pier points North-Northeast so it is not diveable in strong northerly winds. A long walk to the lower landing located 50 meters from the end of the pier. Much better dive at night as more things come out then.

Mares

Portsea Hole (★4.0)

Portsea Hole is about 500m from the Portsea Pier and is a remnant of the old Yarra River. The top of the hole is at 14m and to the north there is a vertical wall approximately 75m(250ft) long which drops to sand at 27m (90ft), then into a sand bowl which bottoms at 33m(110ft).

Scubapro

The Plateau (★4.3)

This is a dive in the middle of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The plateau is a huge rocky platform in around the 16-meter range winding its way around the edge of the platform. This is the deepest water in Victoria, originally part of the river Yarra.

Mares

Eliza Ramsden, wreck (★4.2)

Constructed in Glasgow Scotland in 1874 for Samuel Ramsden of Melbourne and named after his wife, this ship cost 10,000 pounds. She was a three-masted iron barque 151 ft long and 27 ft wide with a gross tonnage of 415 tons. The vessel sunk in 1875 on her first voyage out of Melbourne when she struck Corsair rock.

Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Spectacular Reef (★4.3)

Spec Reef (aka Spectacular Reef) is part of the former Yarra River bed and lies in the South Channel, Port Phillip, Victoria. It is, therefore, subject to shipping traffic. The area is quite large and offers many different dive sites.

Mares, Janez Kranjc

Captain Nitros' Drop-off (★4.2)

The Drop-off is located on the western end of Spectacular Reef, and consists of a series of walls thatplunge to over 60 meters in 5-10m increments. This makes it a great dive for all levels. Huge boulders the size of houses are scattered over the area, lying where the ancient Yarra River deposited them.

Mares, Janez Kranjc

Portsea Pier (★4.0)

Accessible, full of life, and consistently rewarding, Portsea Pier captures the very best of Mornington Peninsula diving. It’s the perfect site for relaxed dives, photography, and unforgettable encounters with Victoria’s famous Weedy Seadragons, amongst numerous other marine species.

Diving in Mornington Peninsula

Mornington Peninsula has over sixty nineteenth-century shipwrecks and four submarines sunken during World War I. While many of these wrecks such as the SS Coogee are reserved for experienced divers, beginner divers are invited to explore the marine life under Mornington’s many piers. In Flinders, Mornington, Dromana and Portsea Pier visitors can discover scuba diving for the first time and take part in a variety of dive courses. Even if you are not ready to fully submerge underwater, the 200-metre long Octopus Garden trail has fun underwater signs for snorkelers. At the Portsea Hole and Port Phillip Heads, there are impressive vertical wall dives with thriving underwater communities and strong currents.

The best Months to dive in Mornington Peninsula

Mornington Peninsula diving is best during the summer season from November through to April. Outside of these times, the weather can cause choppy seas and swells that make it unsuitable for diving. To view pods of dolphins, head to the peninsula from October through to April, where you may even be lucky enough to see them on your dive!