Offshore reefs around Mallacoota in far East Gippsland sit in around 18 m of Bass Strait water and are some of the most lightly dived spots in the state. Granite reef, kelp gardens, sponge cover, big crayfish, abalone, weedy seadragons, blue devils, snapper schools and regular pelagic visitors — the further east you go the more tropical influence sneaks in on warm currents. Boat access from the Mallacoota inlet ramp, with the bar requiring local knowledge to cross safely on bigger swell. Best in light north-westerlies with swell under a metre and tide near slack. Use the live 7-day wind and swell forecast on this page to plan. Intermediate to advanced — bar crossing on the inlet entrance is the biggest hazard, exposed open coast once you're outside, remote location with limited support if anything goes wrong. Pick a properly settled forecast.
How far you can see underwater — measured in metres. 10m+ is great, 5–10m is workable, under 3m is murk. Driven by wind, swell, and recent rain.
Long-period waves rolling in from the open ocean. Direction matters more than height — a S swell hits Portsea hard, but an E swell rolls past. Period over 12 s = real ocean punch.
Offshore (N or NE) flattens the surface and clears the water. Onshore (SE through SW) chops it up and stirs sand. Calm or light offshore is the magic combo.
This site faces the open ocean. The exposure caption above shows which directions slam in. Anything from the opposite side gets blocked — that's the safest window.
Slack water — the 30 minutes either side of high or low — is calmest and clearest. Mid-tide brings the most flow. Plan to be down at slack, up before the run picks up.
Bass Strait sits 14–16 °C autumn–winter, 17–19 °C summer. Below 16° a 7 mm hooded keeps you warm for 60 min+. Drysuit if you're going long.