Cape Jaffa's jetty is a working fishing jetty rather than a tourist one – boats unload lobster and a trolley runs along rails to carry the catch to the coldstores – but the Marine Life Network recommends it as a sheltered option when the weather rules out the reef. It is shallow, at only 1-3 m, and does not usually hold large fish, but it has its own attractions.

The main one is rays. In the evening large stingrays come in to feed on scraps around the jetty, and snorkellers and divers can watch them glide over the sand. Among the pylons you find cowfish, toadies (pufferfish) and the typical small life of a South Australian jetty: sponges, ascidians, crabs and juvenile fish. The water is often greenish and visibility modest, but the depth means long, easy dives.

The warnings are practical. Cray boats use the jetty constantly in season, their propellers and lines are real hazards, and fishers working the jetty do not expect divers, so talk to people before getting in and use a surface marker. The nearby settlement and marina have limited facilities, with Kingston SE 20 km away for supplies.

It suits snorkellers and new divers, anyone stuck ashore by swell, and photographers after rays. For better diving in calm weather, take a boat out to Margaret Brock Reef. Kingston SE and Cape Jaffa have no dive shop, so bring cylinders for the trip. The Cape Jaffa marina development and the old lighthouse story add interest to a visit, and the settlement makes a quiet base for divers with boats waiting for a calm day on the reef.

Drive 20 km south-west from Kingston SE on Cape Jaffa Road to the settlement (formerly King's Camp). Park near the jetty base, gear up at the car and walk onto the jetty, entering from a ladder or from the beach beside it. The jetty is a working structure where a trolley on rails moves seafood from the boats to the coldstores, so keep clear of crews and equipment and dive outside unloading times.

Lacepede Bay is sheltered from the south-westerly swell, which is why the Marine Life Network recommends the jetty as a bad-weather option. Strong northerly to westerly winds make it choppy and stir the sand. Visibility is modest and drops after wind.

Cray boats come and go at all hours in lobster season (October-May), so check with the jetty users. Evening visits bring the big stingrays in.

Enter at the jetty, drift slowly along the pylons in 1-3 m looking for cowfish, toadies and rays, and stay well clear of vessel berths.

No regular operator. Nearest air fills and hire: Dive Experience, Mount Gambier.