Dive-site story
Stretching out into the sheltered waters of Port Phillip Bay on the Mornington Peninsula, Rye Pier is a premier macro and temperate shore diving destination. Diving takes place along the pylon corridor and the marked underwater trail known as the Octopus' Garden, where encrusted timber posts and scattered rubble provide shelter for unique southern Australian marine species. Night diving here is exceptionally rewarding, revealing active cephalopods and nocturnal critters rarely spotted during daylight.
Spotting pot-bellied seahorses clinging to the artificial trail structures and soft corals on pier pylons
Witnessing massive aggregations of giant spider crabs during their early winter molting period
Encountering large smooth stingrays and southern fiddler rays cruising over the sand flats around the pier head
Location
Use the map to plan with your operator and confirm the exact entry point on the day.
Seasonality
Warmer waters and calmer weather dominate the summer and autumn, while early winter brings the spectacle of the spider crab migration.
Marine life
| Species | Likelihood | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big-belly seahorseHippocampus abdominalis | Common | ||||||||||||
| Giant spider crabLeptomithrax gaimardii | Seasonal | ||||||||||||
| Southern blue-ringed octopusHapalochlaena maculosa | Common | ||||||||||||
| Smooth stingrayBathytoshia brevicaudata | Common | ||||||||||||
| Southern fiddler rayTrygonorrhina dumerilii | Common | ||||||||||||
| Weedy seadragonPhyllopteryx taeniolatus | Seasonal |
Marine forecast
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