Scuba diving in Victoria is known across the globe for its spectacular wrecks. Sink beneath the surface and enter a museum of flight decks, engine rooms and WW1 submarines.
Find plenty of octopus, eels and seahorse in stony shorelines. Curious seals frequent these waters eager to play with divers. Keep your eyes peeled for giant cuttlefish, draughtboard sharks, parrotfish, schools of zebra fish and southern rock lobsters whilst diving in Victoria.
An abundance of piers and jetties provide a shaded environment for creatures seeking shelter. One of the most oddly beautiful fish of the deep is the weedy sea dragon, excellently camouflaged against kelp. With such a diverse range of underwater environments to discover, Victoria is a must-dive location.
November–March have the warmest waters for diving in Victoria. They typically peak at 68°F (20°C) around the middle of February (Australia's summertime). Temperatures by the middle of August are around 50°F-57°F (10°C-14°C).
Most divers use a 7mm full-length wetsuit in summer, adding a hood and gloves plus extra layers of warmth underneath their wetsuit in the colder months. Some local divers switch to using a drysuit in winter.
There are benefits to diving in both seasons. Winter's cooler waters bring great visibility (April–July offer the best visibility due to low plankton growth) while the warmth of summer attracts more critters and make diving all the more pleasant. It's easy to see why so many people go diving in Victoria year-round.
Home to lively Melbourne, Victoria is on the southeast coast of Australia. International visitors generally fly into Melbourne Airport. Fly direct to Melbourne from London (21h), Los Angeles (15h) or from New York and Toronto (20h). From Auckland in New Zealand, a non-stop flight is approximately 3h 30m.
For diving in Victoria, travelers usually head south from Melbourne Airport. Victoria's network of first-class roads, connecting the state's cities and towns, makes it easy to reach your destination by car, motorbike or bicycle. Various train and buses connect Melbourne with intrastate and interstate destinations.
A great way to explore Victoria is by hiring a car and taking a road trip. As you head south from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road (4h drive) stop at Apollo Bay, Port Campbell and Port Phillip Heads to dive beneath the waves. Dive sites located along the Great Ocean Road range from 20 meter-high kelp forests to spectacular caves, swim throughs and shipwrecks.
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