Cape Surville is the headland that marks the north-eastern corner of Pirates Bay and the eastern tip of the Forestier Peninsula, and its sheer cliffs continue underwater as a wall. The Marine Life Network guide describes a wall on the north side of the cape in 25-35 m, with a wide variety of seaweeds in the shallows and patches of yellow anemones and reef fish deeper down. The guide calls the rock granite, although the cliffs here are mostly dolerite, like much of the peninsula; either way it is a steep, hard-rock face with ledges and cracks that support dense invertebrate growth.

The upper wall is covered in kelp and a diverse algal community, and below about 20 m the invertebrates take over, with yellow and orange anemones, sponges and small sea whips. Butterfly perch, banded morwong, wrasse and leatherjackets are common, and rock lobster shelter in the cracks. Because the Sisters lie just offshore and are the headline dive in this area, Cape Surville itself is rarely visited on charter trips, but it offers a similar wall character in a slightly more sheltered position and can be a useful option when there is too much current or swell on the pinnacles.

It suits Advanced divers comfortable with depth and cold water. Documentation is limited, so check with the dive centre about current conditions and the best section of wall. The run from Pirates Bay is short, and the scenery on the surface – towering cliffs and sea stacks – is a highlight of the trip in itself.

Boat access only. Eaglehawk Dive Centre's catamaran and Go Dive Tasmania's boat leave from the Pirates Bay jetty/boat ramp at Eaglehawk Neck (Old Jetty Road, off the Arthur Highway about 75 km and 1 hour 15 minutes from Hobart). The Forestier Peninsula sites lie north-east of Pirates Bay: the run across the bay and around Cape Surville takes roughly 15-25 minutes depending on sea state.

Private boats also launch at Pirates Bay; there are no public moorings on the offshore pinnacles, so boats drift-dive or anchor in sand well clear of sponge gardens and run a live-boat pick-up.

The Forestier Peninsula coast faces east and north-east into the Tasman Sea with no shelter from easterly weather. These sites need westerly or north-westerly winds and small swell (generally under about 1.5 m) from the east and south-east; north-easterly sea breezes that build through summer afternoons often shut them by midday, so trips run in the morning. Southerly groundswell wraps around Cape Surville and creates heavy surge on the shallow tops.

Currents are unpredictable and can run strongly around the points and pinnacles, especially on spring tides and when the East Australian Current pushes south in late summer. Autumn (March-May) gives the most frequent calm windows and the clearest water; operators decide on the morning of the dive.

Drop near the base of the cape on the north side, descend to 25-30 m and follow the wall, looking for the yellow anemone patches. Ascend gradually along the face, keeping an eye on current as you approach the point, and make the safety stop on the upper wall.

No regular scheduled trips; Eaglehawk Dive Centre may use it in suitable conditions en route to the Sisters. Otherwise private boats from Pirates Bay.