Snorkelling and Underwater Adventure

The Mornington Peninsula with its crystal clear waters, sandy shores and sheltered bays make it a safe and an ideal environment for the entire family to snorkel and see firsthand the magic, sheer diversity and colour that abounds. Safe to snorkel from Frankston right along till Portsea.

For those wanting to go a step further and truly immerse themselves, the MP has a large variety of diving locations. From the novice to the more advance diver experiences include popular pier diving, open water dives to the more challenging wall and back beach dives. Whichever you choose you will blend effortlessly into the surroundings and become a silent witness to the magic of these waters.

The exciting aspect of diving and snorkelling in the waters of Mornington Peninsula is that every time you immerse yourself, your guaranteed to see something new and spectacular. The change in seasons also bring with it new marine life to experience. In autumn thousands of spider crabs converged in the bay, while in spring and early summer you can be witness to male seadragons carrying their precious eggs on their tails.

While there are literally hundreds of dive and snorkel sites, the following are some of the most popular:

Mornington Pier: Shore Dive, Depth 3-9 metres
Dive (Open Water)

Who would have thought that beneath this popular fishing spot is a bustling underwater metropolis where old wives, pike and dainty hula fish school in large number underneath the safety of the pier. Old pylons lay scattered across the bottom creating plenty of space for mussels, brightly coloured anemones and sea stars decorate and lure octopus from their hidden lairs, while large stingrays fly effortlessly around in search of scuttling crabs or scraps from fishermen.

Rye Pier: Shore Dive, Depth 0-5 metres
Snorkel & Dive (Open Water)

Perfect for novice divers and snorkellers, the highlight is the ‘Octopuses' Garden’, a self-guided marine snorkel trail where bright and bold interpretative signs attached to the pylons guide visitors on a journey of discovery.

As the name suggests it is a great place to see octopus crawling along the sandy floor with their eight long arms or jetting about in search of food. It is a popular place to feed as lone penguins can often be seen dining on schooling baitfish.

Sponges adorn the pylons and the seaweeds provide homes for a variety of fish from the elusive weedfish to mystical seahorses. The larger pot-bellied seahorse can be seen in the deeper waters, while the smaller short headed seahorse resides in seaweed clusters along the side of the pier in knee deep water.

South Channel Fort: Boat Dive, Depth 12 metres
Snorkel & Dive (Open Water)

This man made island was originally built to guard the bay from potential Russian invasion in the 1880’s, and then as a storage for explosives during the 1950s-1980s. The best diving is along jetty and western shore line. Here the bluestone rocky slopes are covered in a blanket of seaweed which hide caverns and caves. One of the most fascinating marine animals the peninsula has to offer resides here, the cuttle who mesmerise even the most seasoned divers, with their science fiction design and pulsating colours. The modest jetty showcases an enormous range of fish, including some of the largest globefish schools your likely to see, as well as goatfish, trevally, sweep, barber perch and moonlighters.

Portsea Pier – Shore Dive, Depth 0-6 metres
Snorkel & Dive (Open Water)

This is Victoria’s most renowned shore dive and is a must for any water baby. Home to brilliantly coloured weedy seadragons, mystical looking creatures that are decorated with vibrant purples, red and yellows, while seaweed-like appendages line their flanks. Red bait crabs, blennies and beautifully colour nudibranchs decorate the pylons, while schooling globefish who can inflate themselves when threatened swim. To the left of the pier is a small rocky reef that shelters cryptic creatures including crested weedfish, flathead and cuttles, leaving translucent squid to hover cautiously mid water.