The boat ramp cove at Eddystone Point is the easiest dive in the far north-east, rated 5 out of 10 by the Marine Life Network guide as a sheltered cove with a small seaweed garden suited to inexperienced divers. Michael McFadyen dived it in February 2008 and found the bay very shallow - about 2 m for most of its area - deepening to about 10 m offshore, with giant kelp fronds up to a metre wide, extensive weed and green algae, and rocky formations rising to about 3 m below the surface.

He recorded abundant striped morwong (probably banded morwong), swimming anemones, wrasse, seapike, large abalone and schools of salmon and garfish, with 10 m visibility and 17 °C water. His verdict was that it is not a must-do dive, but fine if you are in the area and need a dive. The guide adds leatherjackets, herring cale and kelpies, and warns of poor visibility after rough weather and plankton blooms. Treat the depths, positions and conditions given here as a starting point, and confirm them with local divers and a depth sounder before committing to a dive.

The far north-east corner of Tasmania, from Eddystone Point to Cape Portland and Swan Island, is one of the most remote stretches of the state's coast. Roads north of St Helens and around Gladstone are partly gravel, the nearest shops are at Gladstone, Derby or Bridport, and there are no dive services at all. The Marine Life Network guide, written from the experience of Launceston divers, is still the only detailed published account of most of these sites.

Where Bass Strait meets the Tasman Sea around Cape Portland and the Swan Island group, tidal streams run hard, and the guide repeatedly stresses slack water, safety lines and experienced boat handlers for the wreck sites. The Royal Hobart Hospital chamber is five hours or more away by road, so any diving here should be conservative and planned with an evacuation route in mind.

Eddystone Point is at the northern end of the Bay of Fires, about 1 hr 15 min from St Helens via the gravel Ansons Bay Road or 40 km from Gladstone via the Eddystone Point Road (partly gravel), and about 2 hr 45 min from Launceston. The lighthouse reserve has a small gulch used as a boat 'ramp' for launching small boats. Drive to the boat ramp next to the lighthouse reserve, park beside it and walk straight down the ramp or small beach into the water.

Show a dive flag, as small boats launch here. There are no marinas or fuel on this coast apart from the towns named, so carry spare fuel, a VHF radio and an EPIRB, leave a trip plan ashore, and check MAST boating advice; many north-coast ramps are shallow at low tide, and a 4WD tow vehicle is a real advantage.

Eddystone Point faces east into the Tasman Sea and is exposed to any easterly or north-easterly swell and the summer sea breeze. Westerly and south-westerly winds give the calmest conditions. After rough weather or plankton blooms visibility can be poor.

The cove itself is sheltered and stays diveable in moderate southerlies, as Michael McFadyen found with a 20-knot southerly blowing. Use the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast for the North East Coast and Banks Strait, and check tide times for the nearest standard port before planning the run.

Follow the eastern side of the bay north through the shallow kelp and weed, then head seaward to the rocky formations in 6-10 m before returning south by a different route (McFadyen's 47-minute route). Turn at a third of gas to allow for the swim back and a possibly harder exit, finish with a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m if the depth allows, and exit where you entered unless an alternative exit has been checked beforehand.

No commercial operator. Dived occasionally by Launceston clubs and Tasmanian Divers (Launceston) groups, and by private boats and cray divers. Remote - full self-sufficiency required.