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WETSUITS
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed or compressed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low density, providing buoyancy in water. Contrary to popular beliefs, the layer of warm water normally trapped between the wetsuit and the skin provides very little thermal insulation.
Semi-dry suits are effectively a thick wetsuit with better-than-usual seals at wrist, neck and ankles. The seals limit the volume of water entering and leaving the suit. The wearer gets wet in a semi-dry suit but the water that enters is soon warmed up and does not leave the suit readily, so the wearer remains warm. The trapped layer of water does not add to the suit's insulating ability. Any residual water circulation past the seals still causes heat loss. But semi-dry suits are cheap and simple compared to dry suits. They are made from thick Neoprene, which provides good thermal protection. They lose buoyancy and thermal protection as the trapped gas bubbles in the Neoprene compress at depth. Semi-dry suits can come in various configurations including a single piece or two pieces, made of 'long johns' and a separate 'jacket'. Semi dry suits do not usually include boots, so a separate pair of insulating boots are worn. They are used typically where the water temperature is between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F).
Perpendicular Reef
Reef Dive | 
Shore access
Weedy Seadragon at Perpendicular Reef
© Phil Watson
Depth: 1 m (3.28 ft) to 11 m (36 ft)
Level: Open Water and beyond.
Perpendicular Reef, named by Peter Fuller, is an interesting diving and snorkelling site in Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. The beach here faces south into Lonsdale Bay, Port Phillip. The site features a reef structure that runs perpendicular out to sea, in contrast to the reefs that run parallel to shore at nearby Cottage By The Sea Reef and Beach 10B to the east.
Between Shortland Bluff and Point Lonsdale is a curving, south-east facing, 3 kilometre long series of three beaches. The entire section is backed by foreshore reserves and the Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale Roads. There are camping and picnic areas in the reserve, just west of Shortland Bluff and further west at Golightly and Royal Parks. The central section of Lonsdale Bay Beach is backed by natural, vegetated dunes, with a walking track linking the camping areas. On the bluffs above Point Lonsdale are car parks, picnic areas and lookouts to view The Rip and passing ships.
What To Expect:
The critters here include
Australian Fur Seals,
Smooth Stingrays,
Southern Fiddler Ray (aka Banjo Shark),
Giant Australian Cuttlefish,
damselfish, morwong, wrasse,
Bluespotted Goatfish,
Southern Blue Devil,
Old Wives,
Sea Hare,
leatherjackets,
Southern Rock Lobster (aka Crayfish), and
Weedy Seadragons. Lots of pretty starfish as well.
Perpendicular Reef Parking
© Google Street View
Location: Smith Street, Queenscliff, Victoria 3225
MELWAY Ref: Page 500 G1
Beach Marker: 7B
Parking: While traveling west from Queenscliff towards Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Highway (B110), turn left onto Smith Street. At the southern end of Smith Street where it turns right into Fraser Street you'll find a small reserve, beach marker 7B, and a track down onto the western end of Santa Casa Beach.
Warning: Perpendicular Reef is subject to a lot of boat and PWC traffic. Always take a dive float with a dive flag. Always go with a buddy and be extremely careful of the tidal flow.
Entry/Exit: Shore entry, from the western end of Santa Casa Beach in Lonsdale Bay at beach marker 7B.
Ideal Conditions: Conditions are usually best with no wind or after a few days of northerlies as surface conditions remain calm. Best dived on the ebb flow when it is low tide at The Heads as the current can be quite strong otherwise.
See WillyWeather (Santa Casa Beach) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
The Rip & Tides Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive within "The Rip" (aka "The Heads"). This is a dangerous stretch of water, where Bass Straight meets Port Phillip, which has claimed many ships and lives. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-the-rip before diving or snorkelling this site.
Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes the coastline of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-east, the Bellarine Peninsula, and down to Cape Otway in the south-west. We wish to acknowledge the Wathaurong 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.
Perpendicular Reef Location Map
Latitude: 38° 16.327′ S (38.272111° S / 38° 16′ 19.6″ S)
Longitude: 144° 38.810′ E (144.646838° E / 144° 38′ 48.62″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
| Get directions
Added: 2022-04-04 17:00:46 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-07 21:30:49 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Cottage By The Sea Reef, 263 m, bearing 95°, E
Queenscliff, Bellarine Peninsula.
Depth: 1 to 11 m.
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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.
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