Portsea Pier Snorkel
LOCATION Portsea Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
DEPTH 1-6 Meters
WATER TEMP 17-22 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Medium
Easy access from shore or jetty, currents under the jetty can be tricky
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2024 Imagery © Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies
Portsea Pier Snorkel
LOCATION Portsea Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
DEPTH 1-6 Meters
WATER TEMP 17-22 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Medium
Easy access from shore or jetty, currents under the jetty can be tricky
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2024 Imagery © Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies
Portsea Pier Snorkel
Portsea Pier is regarded as one of the best places in Victoria to see the state’s marine emblem – the weedy sea dragon. You can go on guided snorkelling tours here to see them. Maybe we should have done that because we struck out for our snorkel in what were quite challenging conditions.
What Can I See?
Alongside Flinders Pier, this is one of the best spots to view weedy sea dragons. As you’ll read below, we had a terrible day here, but snorkels tours are available here to see the weedies and we spoke to people who had seen them the day before we were there.
- Weedy Sea Dragons
- Smooth Rays
- Sea Stars
- Crabs
- Fish
Getting There
Portsea is 95 minutes from the Melbourne CBD. Best make your own way there.
Where & How do you get in?
There are two platforms on the jetty that have ladders and a single step into the water. We entered from the first platform, there were lots of people fishing on the one closer to the end of the jetty. We left the water at the beach.
Best Season
There is no best season for weedy seadragons. From October to December you might see the males carrying around eggs on its tail.
Potential Hazards
- Cold Water
- Fishing lines from above
- Currents
Recommended Gear
- Wetsuit
- Camera with Light
How Busy / Crowds
Over summer and in holiday periods, Portsea is extremely busy. Fortunately, most people are not snorkelling so the water isn’t too crowded. It is a popular fishing jetty so stay under or well away from the jetty.
Parking
If you come here on a weekend or over the holidays, parking can be tricky. There are maybe 12 parks opposite the pier but you you don’t get one of them, there is a bigger parking area on the opposite side of the road.
The information for each snorkel spot is provided by people who have snorkelled there. However, snorkelling conditions change daily. Please be aware that wind, swell, tides and cloud cover can all affect visibility and your experience in the water.
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Tours
We haven’t done it, but Bay Play offer snorkelling tours at Portsea suitable for beginners. You can also do tours to swim with dolphins and seals from nearby Sorento.
Best Conditions
Aim for a day of light winds or breeze from the south or southeast. Also check sea conditions for low swells. We snorkelled mid tide and there was quite a bit of current which made things not fun.
Windy Map Instructions – Click on the wind icon in the top right to see other conditions such as swell, temperature, rain. To clear the four day forecast click and close the wind icon.
Facilities at Portsea Pier
Toilets
Showers
Picnic Tables
Parking
Shade
Food & Drinks
About the Snorkel
After successfully finding weedy sea dragons at Flinders Pier and having just finished a brilliant snorkel at Rye Pier we were really looking forward to seeing more weedies here. We got a great park, the water looked beautiful, but that was as good as it got.
We had a couple of people tell us where to look but between fighting solid currents we couldn’t track them down. It was super frustrating as someone only an hour earlier had said they spotted them at the end of the pier the previous day.
Another person had said try in the shallower weed beds either side of the jetty but the water wasn’t doing us any favour and staying down was hard work.
Weedy sea dragons aside, there was some colourful sponges on the pylons, we spotted a couple of smooth rays and there were a few puffer and goat fish around. But to be honest, if you just want a snorkel where you can easily see stuff, head to Rye Pier. The parking is easier, water entry is easy, it is a great spot for all levels and there is a bigger variety of marine life to see.
If you have your heart set on seeing weed sea dragons, either think about the guided tour, or pick a calmer day than we did to try your luck.
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