Seal Point, Cape Otway

Reef Dive | Shore access

Crayfish Bay, Cape Otway

Depth: 1 m (3.28 ft) to 10 m (33 ft)

Level: Advanced Open Water and beyond.

Seal Point lies east of Cape Otway between the Cape Otway Lighthouse and Parker Inlet, in the Cape Otway National Park. Victoria's Otway Coast here consists of 20 to 30 metre high, vegetated bluffs fronted by rock platforms and reefs. Seal Point marks the eastern end of Crayfish Bay which contains two beaches, both protected by offshore reefs, with Seal Point (east) and Crayfish Point (west) forming the boundaries.

The main Crayfish Bay Beach, west of Seal Point, is 150 metres long, and faces south into Bass Strait and is backed by a strip of flat land below the bluffs. The beach is steep, with no bar and deep water lying between the beach and the reefs 50 metres offshore.

Diving and Snorkelling at Seal Point

Seal Point, Cape Otway Dive
© Phil Watson

The entry at Seal Point is protected by a large rock platform that extends west from the point. The rock platform you enter from has large, deep gutters. The dive here is to explore the large underwater rock slabs, the deep gutters of the rock platforms, and the bommies at the eastern end of Crayfish Bay and around Seal Point at depths of up to 10 metres.

Seal Point is a great site for snorkelling and diving when weather conditions permit. There is plenty of challenging reef to explore and schools of ocean going fish. For the details of a similar dive at the western end of the bay, see Crayfish Bay, Cape Otway.

Location: Apollo Bay, Victoria 3233

Parking: Seal Point is near the southern tip of Cape Otway, approximately three hours from Melbourne. The nearest towns are Apollo Bay (32 km north-east) and Lavers Hill (36 km north-west). From the east, approach Apollo Bay and Cape Otway along the Great Ocean Road (B100) by taking either Anglesea Road or Surf Coast Highway from Geelong.

From Colac, approach through Lavers Hill (inland route C155). From the west, pick up the Great Ocean Road (B100) by approaching via Port Campbell (inland route C164). From the Great Ocean Road (B100), take Lighthouse Road (C157).

A vehicle track from the Cape Otway Lighthouse Road (C157) runs down to the bluffs above Crayfish Bay. Before gearing up, walk out to the tip of Seal Point and take a look at the conditions. If you see lots of white water, head on home. If conditions are just right, gear up, walk to the entry point you've chosen, and enter the water.

Warning: This is a highly hazardous area. Always go with a buddy and be extremely careful. Weak or average swimmers should not consider diving or snorkelling here. Experienced divers and snorkellers only.

Entry/Exit: The best entry/exit point for the Seal Point diving and snorkelling site is from the rock platforms just west of Seal Point.

Ideal Conditions: Diving here requires a day of exceptionally good weather. Conditions need to be calm, with flat seas and no swell or rough weather coming in, which means the dive site is best in summer and autumn. Offshore northerly and north-westerly winds will flatten out the sea. It's an exposed site and conditions can change quickly. Beware of waves and tides when visiting this site. See WillyWeather (Crayfish Bay) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.

See also, SLS BeachSafe: Crayfish Bay,
Parks Victoria: Crayfish Bay,
Visitor Guide: Great Otway National Park - Apollo Bay, Cape Otway and surrounds, and
Crayfish Bay & Seal Point in "Shore Dives of Victoria" by Ian Lewis, 3rd edition page 9.

Crayfish Dive Site | © Ian Scholey

Divers have the opportunity to catch Southern Rock Lobster (aka Crayfish) at this dive site. Remember your catch bag, current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence, rock lobster measure, and cray tags. Once you get back to the dive boat, or shore, make sure you clip the tail and tag your Crayfish as per Fisheries requirements. Please abide by all current fishing regulations if you intend to catch crays. See article-catching-crayfish for practical cray hunting advice from The Scuba Doctor, plus melbourne-cray-dives for a list of other crayfish dive sites near Melbourne. For tips on cooking your Crays, please see article-cooking-crayfish.

Eastern Maar country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Eastern Maar people of south-western Victoria between the Shaw and Eumerella Rivers and from Yambuk in the south to beyond Lake Linlithgow in the north. This truly ancient Country extends as far north as Ararat and encompasses the coastal townships of Port Fairy in the west, Warrnambool, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Lorne, and Airies Inlet in the east, including the Great Ocean Road area. It also stretches 100 metres out to sea from low tide and therefore includes the iconic Twelve Apostles. "Eastern Maar" is a name adopted by the people who identify as Maar, Eastern Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Kuurn Kopan Noot and/or Yarro waetch (Tooram Tribe) amongst others. We wish to acknowledge the Eastern Maar as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging.

 

Seal Point, Cape Otway Location Map

Latitude: 38° 51.274′ S   (38.854569° S / 38° 51′ 16.45″ S)
Longitude: 143° 32.401′ E   (143.540018° E / 143° 32′ 24.06″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2022-04-10 21:13:21 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-12 07:00:14 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Crayfish Bay, Cape Otway, 189 m, bearing 283°, WNW
Cape Otway National Park, Otway Coast.
Depth: 1 to 10 m.

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.