Point Hicks is the headland in Croajingolong National Park in far East Gippsland, named after the lieutenant who first sighted the Australian east coast in 1770. Reef diving runs to around 20 m around the point, with granite outcrops, kelp gardens, sponge cover, crayfish, abalone, weedy seadragons, blue devils, snapper and regular pelagic visitors on the East Australian Current. It's a wild, remote bit of coast — the dive sites here see very little traffic. Boat access only, with the nearest practical launch points being Mallacoota or Marlo. Best in light westerly to north-westerly winds, swell under a metre and tide near slack. Use the live 7-day wind and swell forecast on this page to plan. Advanced divers — exposed coast, current around the point, very remote with no support, pick a properly settled forecast and have everything in order before you leave.
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.