Geelong Dive Centre

Diving

The magnificent Heads of Port Phillip Bay represent an internationally unique underwater environment. It's secret lies in its amazing bio-diversity.  It's ever amazing reefs and walls are brilliantly coloured in red, yellow, pink and purple soft corals mixing with Large Dish Sponges and bright red Sea Tulips. This allows a perfect home for Compound Ascidian's whilst Swimming Anemone's and Golf Ball Sponges lazily roll along with the current.  Bold yellow Zoanthidaes and Lace Bryozoans cover rocky outcrops and large Gorgonian corals stretch out to absorb the passing nutrients moving through the heads.  All of this is gently draped in mystical Bull and Southern Kelps.

Spotted amongst it all divers commonly come across Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragons, Sea Horses, Cuttle Fish, Native Brittle, Feather and Biscuit Stars, Sea Urchins, Chitons, Fan Worms and once lived in shells.  A little higher of the sea floor and you'll encounter our unique Blue Devil Fish, Ornate and Shaw's Cowfish, Horseshoe, Pigmy, Toothbrush and Six Spined Leatherjackets, Scalyfins, Maori, Blue Throated, Rosy and Southern Wrasse's, Zebra fishes, Nannygai's, Silver Trevally, Sea Sweep, Senator Fish, Yellowtail Kingfish and many, many more. The heads also play host to a full time colony of Australian Fur Seals, Wild Bottlenose Dolphins and occasionally Humpback Whales. And as if that were not enough any divers looking for their own seafood basket can also collect Southern Crayfish, Abalone and Scallops* all commonly found in our waters.

Amongst all of the above we also have over 70 Shipwrecks that came to grieve on the treacherous, and at that time not well known, coastline from the early days of settling the Victorian countryside. Now well known as "The Shipwreck Coast" divers can dive these wrecks and explore their fascinating remains. They present a rare archive on the history of the wreck, what they were carrying and the craftsmanship in their engineering design. It may also help answer how they may have happened to have come to grief. In addition to the large number of wrecks there are also 5 J-Class Submarines, gifted to Australia form Great Britain which made up Australia's first commitment to a Naval Submarine fleet. Fortunately these were scuttled in the mid 1920's after their service life had expired and now present as an exceptional opportunity for wreck divers and are still remarkably well in tact despite their years under the sea.

* Recreational Fishing Licenses are required to remove any critters form Victorian Waters and bag and size limits may apply so check first, Licenses can be purchased at Geelong Dive Centre.

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