About 500m out from Portsea Pier is a deep underwater canyon called Portsea Hole. It is a mecca for divers, with a giant wall dropping from the surrounding seabed of 12m down to over 30m (over 100 feet!).
Portsea Hole is part of the Point Nepean Marine National Park.
Portsea Hole is a leftover of the drowned valley of the Yarra River that carved deep gorges in their journey to Bass Strait during the last ice age.
The canyon wall contains ledges and caves full of colourful soft corals, sponges and remarkable fish like the blue devil. The males guard their eggs left by their mate at the back of a cave. They fight off anything that is blue, thinking it is another blue devil trying to eat their eggs. Don’t wear a blue wetsuit!
The Dolphin Research Institute has been caring for our dolphins and bays since 1991. It is a registered charity and donations over $2 are tax deductible.
