West Head is the headland just west of Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula, with reef diving out to around 16 m. The site faces more south-west than Cape Schanck itself so it picks up swell from a slightly different angle — sometimes diveable when the cape isn't, sometimes the opposite. Marine life is classic Victorian south-coast: crayfish, abalone, weedy seadragons, blue devils, banjo sharks, plus thick kelp and sponge cover over the bommies. Boat access is the usual way in, out of Flinders or Port Phillip. Best in light north-east winds, swell under a metre and tide near slack. Use the live 7-day wind and swell forecast on this page to pick your slot. Advanced divers — open-coast site, current can run on tide change, swell wraps around the headland in unpredictable ways.
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.