South Australia

District Council of Grant

Australia

Been many years since I had dived here, but you may still need a permit to snorkel and it probably still is rated as a Cave Dive and will require a Cave certification to dive this site.



Piccanninie Ponds

Ewans Ponds is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Australia, SA, Mount Gambier which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Ewans Ponds

Port Mac Donald Pier is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Australia, SA, Mount Gambier which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Port Mac Donald Pier

Pine Cave is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Australia, SA, Mount Gambier which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Pine Cave

Limestone cave containing 4+ km of passageways; water is 15°C.

Adjacent to Fossil Cave. Contact Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) for access details.

Tank Cave

Fossils Cave  is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Australia, SA, Mount Gambier which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Fossils Cave 

Not always available to dive due to swell/surge. Good dive for crays and Abalone. 

Must have current Vic fishing licence to take crays and/or Abalone.

This side also often has a few seals hanging around which are always happy for a photo shoot.

Access from Portland Harbour via 30 minute boat trip. Difficult to arrange charters and therefor small groups would require private boat to access.

Lawrence Rock

About 350 metres east of Lawrence rock on the sheltered side lies the Emily S. A purpose sunk wreck she lays beautifully upright on her keel in 24 metres between two rocky reefs. She was scuttled on the 1st September 1991 by the PDS dive club. The Emily S is an old fishing trawler 30 metres in length. Although 20 years old she is still in great intact condition and is a great dive for beginers to experience some easy penetration dives on. Often has a family of Weedy Seadragons near the prop.

Access to the site can only be done via 30min boat trip from Portland Harbour. The GPS mark should be right on but use your sounder in general area to locate wreck as will show easily. Finding a dive charter can be difficult and is mainly dived from private vessels. Site is on the lee side of Lawrence Rocks but is still very weather dependant.

Emily S Wreck

As mentioned this is a very weather dependant site. Although current is not a problem, surge can be. This bay area is definately the best dive at Lawrence Rocks. Due to normally being pounded by the southern ocean there is far less kelp and a very rugged terrain. The best spot to find crays and abalone (In season, with a fishing licence and obey all size and catch limits). If you follow the wall south there is an awesome wall covered in brilliant sponges and jewel anenomies. Viz is very variable but usually if the weather is calm enough to dive this side it can be quite good and at +20m.

Access to Lawrence Rocks is via boat from Portland. Charters can be arranged but small groups would really need their own boat. Lawrence Rocks is very weather dependant especially on the west side as the swell usually comes from the SW. When the conditions are right you can anchor in the small bay area on the SW corner.

Lawrence Rocks Bay

This are is a sanctuary, so look - but don't touch.

Reefs are all around this island with some extending right from the bottom to the surface (10m walls). There are caves, swimthroughs, bull kelp forests, much marine life, etc.

Diving here can range from easy to intermediate, depending on the tide, swell and weather. This are can be quite dangerous if the sea is rough, with strong currents and surge when wells are up! It is best dived when the wind is comming from the North and the swell is very low.

This area also offers some nice views for snorkelers for this part of the state, and is debatably one of the best shore dives that Warrnambool has to offer in the right conditions.

Car parks are plentiful around Stingray bay, but so are the visitors (families who swim at stingray bay) during the summer school holidays. 

A toilet block around 50m away offers fresh cold water showers, and a place to change.   You will need to walk around 70 metres across the sand to get to your dive point, and just before the dive entry point, will cross a small channel.

Shore access. Car park is near site (Stingray Bay). Toilets (with cold showers and change rooms) are 50m from the stairs access to the beach.

Make way through middle of the two islands towards the reef out the back. Needs to be calm ocean - strong currents can exist between and around the island, so dive on good conditions.

Middle Island is also known as Middle Island Warrnambool.

Middle Island

"HMS J1 later HMAS J1 was a Royal Navy J class submarine built by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth in Hampshire and launched on 6 November 1915.

J1 operated in patrols in the North Sea. In November 1916 a German force made up of half a destroyer flotilla, three dreadnoughts and a battlecruiser set out from port to rescue two submarines U-20 and U-30 that were stranded in fog off Jutland. On the return having only rescued one of the submarines the force passed J1 off Horns Reef on 5 November 1916. Two of the dreadnoughts, the SMS Kronprinz and SMS Großer Kurfürst were torpedoed earning J1's captain, Commander Laurence, a Bar to his DSO. The dreadnoughts were not sunk but managed to reach port where they had to remain for some time while undergoing repairs.

She was transferred along with 5 other J class submarines to Australia on 25 March 1919 and operated out of Geelong in Victoria. She was paid off on 12 July 1922, sold on 26 February 1924 and sunk as a breakwater on 26 May 1926." Source: Wikipedia.org



HMAS J1 Submarine is also known as 36m Submarine, Intact Sub.

Piccanninie Ponds

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Piccanninie Ponds