Point Franklin - Portsea Reef
Location |
Point Franklin, Portsea Reef. |
Depth |
5 to 16 meters |
Entry |
Shore entry from either side of the point from the sand. Another entry can be from the end of portsea pier when the tide is half an hour from reaching slack and using the tide to take you to the point. |
Bottom |
Weed, grass and kelp with bommies and very large ledges to have a look in. Sponge garden is out further at the end of the sand gutters. A site with a huge amount of variation in such a small area. |
Life |
Squid, old wife, octopus, hermit crabs, leather jackets, cow fish, weedy sea dragons and pot bellied seahorses plus more. |
Comments |
The tide can be very strong here so if your not used to this area best to dive it only at slack or with an experienced melb diver. If you take care of the current the depth can get past 14m as the point is very close to the shipping channel and the reason the current is strong. |
Parking |
Free parking at the end of the lane at the point or park down near the portsea pier. |
Tides |
After many dives missing the slack water at this site I finally think I have it worked out. You need to be leaving the shore 1 hour 20 minutes before slack at the heads, or 1 hour 40 mins before the slack if you use the Williamstown tides. If you do this, the first 10 mins of the dive you will have only minor current as its stopping giving you the maxium time before it starts to run again. When it starts to run head straight for the shore. |
The first picture is showing the portsea pier and point franklin and where the reef and kelp areas are located. The darker blue area at the top is a channel where the current is very strong. Dark blue areas are 12m or more in depth which starts only 70m off the shore.
