Best snorkelling spots on The Bellarine

I love going for a poke around underwater. It’s like a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to see on any given day.

Port Phillip is a haven for marine life, and the currents that flush through the Heads support amazing soft corals and abundant fish life. You’ll have fun poking around coastal rock pools and intertidal rock platforms – Point Lonsdale is a good place to start – but pull on a mask, snorkel and fins and you’ll see a lot more.

Marine life loves the shelter offered by piers, wrecks and reefs. St Leonards Pier is a great place to jump in, its pylons offering shelter to fish, colourful sponges, nudibranchs, seahorses, and weedy and leafy sea dragons. The wreck of the 1925 paddlesteamer Ozone at Indented Heads is another likely spot, where you’re almost guaranteed to see sting rays.

Boats open up new areas to explore. Head out with Sea All Dolphin Swims to the sheltered waters of the Popes Eye, a circular structure originally intended to be the foundations of an island fort but now teeming with marine life. At Chinaman’s Hat, up to 100 Australian Fur Seals await for a play, and you can swim with wild dolphins too.

Scuba diving opens up a whole new world of possibilities for critters, creatures and underwater terrain. Scubabo run guided dives from Queenscliff, exploring steep walls, bommies, and the wrecks of submarine and ships, all the way out into Bass Strait.

You might not get to swim with them but if you love marine life, head to Barwon Bluff between June and October to spot passing whales.