Navigation
Drysuits - Neoprene
Neoprene is a type of synthetic rubber, often also used in neck and ankle seals in drysuits. Neoprene can be specially prepared to contain millions of tiny enclosed air bubbles, forming a buoyant and thermally-insulating material. This is called "foamed neoprene" or "foam-neoprene" (not all neoprene contains foam).
As foam-neoprene tends to shrink over the years as it out-gases and slowly becomes more rigid. An alternative is crushed or rolled neoprene, which is used in the construction of all Northern Diver neoprene dry suits and is less susceptible to volume changes when under pressure, and shrinks less.
Crushed neoprene dry suits provide some insulation by themselves (unlike membrane dry suits), but even with foam dry suits, thermal under-suits are usually worn. With a crushed neoprene suit, less insulation is needed underneath.
The undersuits usually vary from a fine base layer similar to the Northern Diver Thermalskin, up to a thicker layer like the Northern Diver Arctic Base or Metalux Arctic. Some people also use a standard wet suit (worn dry), or polyester fabrics used in mountaineering and other cold weather uses (these may also be in pieces, including vests or sleeveless vests). Such fabrics also ultimately insulate in the same way as foam, using air in which convection is retarded by the small sizes of the air spaces. However, per volume and weight of fabric, the best-insulating dry polyester fabrics are more effective than foam, because their air pockets are smaller.
Nepean Bay Inner West
Reef Dive | 
Boat access
Depth: 1 m (3.28 ft) to 5 m (16 ft)
Level: Snorkelling, Open Water and beyond.
Located at the Western end of Nepean Bay, situated on the north side of Point Nepean, this reef dive site features a series of detached reefs in shallow water. This reef area feature deep undercuts and is full of marine life and a large variety of fish species. Port Jackson sharks can be found in the breeding season in quite large numbers, sheltering under these deep crevices.
This shallow site is great for both snorkellers and scuba divers. However, the site can only be accessed by boat, as shore diving is prohibited at Point Nepean. The site is exposed to tidal influences and is best dived on the ebb tide.
Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park
This site lies in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The park is made up of six separate marine areas around the southern end of Port Phillip: Swan Bay, Mud Islands, Point Lonsdale, Point Nepean, Popes Eye, and Portsea Hole.
Thirty-one of the 120 shipwrecks known to have occurred within a 10 nautical mile radius of Port Phillip Heads are thought to be within the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park in Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean.
Aboriginal tradition indicates that the Bellarine Peninsula side of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is part of Country of the Wathaurung people, and the Mornington Peninsula side, including Mud Islands, is part of Country of the Boon Wurrung people.
See also, Parks Victoria: Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park,
Park Note: Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park,
Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park - Map,
Divers Guide - Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park,
Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park Identification Booklet, and
Taxonomic Toolkit for the Marine Life of Port Phillip Bay.
Port Phillip Heads Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
Point Lonsdale Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
Point Nepean Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
Popes Eye Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
Portsea Hole Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
Mud Islands Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria
You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park.
Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.
Nepean Bay Inner West Location Map
Latitude: 38° 18.247′ S (38.304122° S / 38° 18′ 14.84″ S)
Longitude: 144° 39.351′ E (144.655847° E / 144° 39′ 21.05″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
Added: 2020-05-17 10:27:50 GMT, Last updated: 2022-03-22 17:34:30 GMT
Source: Divers Guide - Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park
Nearest Neighbour: Nepean Bay Inner East - Radar, 272 m, bearing 92°, E
Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park.
Depth: 1 to 5 m.
[ Top ]
DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.
The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.
![Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]](/diveshop/images/halcyon/Halcyon-Evolve-Wing.jpg "Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]")
