South East Point is the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, the headland on Wilsons Promontory below the iconic lighthouse. Reef diving runs out to around 25 m and the site is fully exposed to swell from east through south. When conditions line up the diving is spectacular — kelp gardens, sponge cover, gorgonian fans, crayfish, abalone, weedy seadragons, blue devils, schools of sweep and bullseyes, plus regular fur seal encounters. Boat access only, on charter from Port Welshpool with serious run times. Best in light westerly to north-westerly winds (offshore at this site) with swell under a metre and tide near slack. Use the live 7-day wind and swell forecast on this page to plan. Advanced divers only — exposed coast, current around the point, remote location, multi-hour boat run, plan around 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.