Hepburn Point, also called Black Point, is a shallow boulder reef close to Coles Bay township. The Marine Life Network guide rates it 5 out of 10 and describes a shallow expanse of boulders and rock at about 3 m, safe in sheltered conditions but with poor visibility in strong south-easterly weather.

The boulders provide plenty of crevices for fish and invertebrates. The guide lists sponge growths, starfish and anemones, and fish including long-snouted boarfish, leatherjackets, wrasse and trumpeter. Being inside Great Oyster Bay, the water is often less clear than on the ocean side of the peninsula, but it is also calmer.

The guide's general comment on the Coles Bay area is that the local diving is generally sandy and disappointing, with the best sites found further afield at Schouten Island and on the ocean coast. Hepburn Point is one of the exceptions and a pleasant, easy option when everything else is blown out, or a place to snorkel with family.

It suits new divers and snorkellers. Divers with their own boat can combine it with Picnic Island or use it as a check-out dive before heading to Schouten Island. As with all Freycinet diving, there is no local air, so bring full cylinders.

Some context helps set expectations for all Freycinet diving. The peninsula's pink granite continues under water as rounded boulders, cracks and steep faces, and the area sits where the warm East Australian Current meets cooler southern water, so species lists mix typical Tasmanian fish with more northern visitors. Over recent decades warming water and grazing by the long-spined sea urchin, which has spread south from New South Wales, have thinned kelp beds along the east coast, and descriptions written in the 1990s may not match what you find today.

Coles Bay is 30 minutes south of the Tasman Highway via the C302 (turn off 12 km south of Bicheno), about 2 hr 45 min from Hobart and 2 hr 30 min from Launceston. The main public boat ramp is at Coles Bay township; boats reaching the ocean side of the peninsula or Schouten Island need a seaworthy vessel, as the run around Cape Degerando or through Schouten Passage is exposed. Hepburn Point is a few minutes by boat from the Coles Bay ramp inside Great Oyster Bay.

It can be seen from the shore road, but boat access is recommended by the only published guide.

Inside Great Oyster Bay, Hepburn Point is sheltered from easterly ocean swell but the Marine Life Network guide warns that visibility is poor in strong south-easterly weather. North-westerly and westerly winds chop up Great Oyster Bay. Best on calm mornings.

Rain washes tannin-stained runoff into Great Oyster Bay, and summer afternoons commonly bring a fresh north-easterly sea breeze, so plan dives for the morning.

Anchor or drop off the point, explore the boulder field in 2-4 m looking into crevices, and return to the boat. Ideal as a snorkel or a very relaxed shallow dive. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.

No dedicated dive operator at Coles Bay or Freycinet. Sites are dived from private boats and occasional club expeditions (Tas Uni Dive Club, TSDC, Launceston clubs); the Marine Life Network guide notes that Coles Bay is the usual starting point for Schouten Island charters. Cruise and kayak operators in Coles Bay do not offer scuba.