Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 8 Nov 2026
Horn Point
Wilsons Promontory, Victoria · near Port Welshpool
| Depth | 2–25 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Advanced Open Water |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Access | Boat |
| Entry | Giant stride or back roll from an anchored or live boat; descend the anchor/shot line |
| Current | Mild |
| Visibility | 10-25 m |
| Water | summer 17-20 °C, winter 11-14 °C |
| Suit | 7mm semi-dry with hood and gloves, or drysuit; drysuit preferred May-Nov |
| Best season | Late summer to autumn (Feb–May) for settled weather and 20 m+ visibility; occasional calm winter days |
| Bottom time | 40 min |
| Position | -39.02628, 146.47675 (GPS) |
| Permit | Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park – no take of any marine life, no anchoring on sensitive habitat where avoidable; Kanowna Island seal colony vessel exclusion zones apply |
| Nearest chamber | The Alfred (Melbourne) |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
Horn Point
A rocky wall to 20 m with basket stars, sea spiders, large sponges and occasional weedy seadragons and southern coralfish; the eastern Prom's macro dive.
Near Port Welshpool · Wilsons Promontory, Victoria
- Depth
- 2–25 m
- Minimum level
- Advanced Open Water
- Access
- Boat
- Boat ride
- ~70 min
- Water
- 17-20 °C
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
Horn Point2–25 m · Advanced Open Water
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
Off-peak nowBest months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, December.
Late summer to autumn (Feb–May) for settled weather and 20 m+ visibility; occasional calm winter days
- Best months
- Now (November)
Dive facts
- Depth
- 2–25 m
- Typical depth
- 15 m
- Certification
- Advanced Open Water
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Depth tier
- Advanced Open Water (18–30 m)
- Access
- Boat
- Offshore
- 0.1 km
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – boat access only
- Shore / independent
- No
- Boat ride
- ~70 min
- Current
- Mild
- Visibility
- 10-25 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 17-20 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 11-14 °C
- Water
- Temperate
- Bottom time
- 40 min
- Dive traffic
- Remote/expedition only
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- Partial
Exposure suit
7mm semi-dry with hood and gloves, or drysuit; drysuit preferred May-Nov
Location
Eastern Prom (Sealers Cove–Refuge Cove) · Wilsons Promontory – Bass Strait
-39.02628, 146.47675
Published GPS position.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: scubadoctor.com.auMarine park & permits
Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park – no take of any marine life, no anchoring on sensitive habitat where avoidable; Kanowna Island seal colony vessel exclusion zones apply
Nearest recompression chamber
The Alfred (Melbourne)
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around Horn Point →
A day-by-day plan for Wilsons Promontory with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
Horn Point is a reef boat dive in Wilsons Promontory, VIC, 2–25 m, suited to Advanced Open Water divers, about 70 minutes by boat.
Rated intermediate because of depth beyond 18 m, cold water.
Why dive here
- A rocky wall to 20 m with basket stars, sea spiders, large sponges and occasional weedy seadragons and southern coralfish; the eastern Prom's macro dive.
- Rarely dived: expect to have the site to yourself, and plan your own logistics.
- Visibility often reaches 10-25 m.
Conditions to avoid
- Strong southerly or south-east swell and wind
- Afternoon north-easterlies
- Strong westerlies
About Horn Point
Horn Point is the headland between Sealers Cove and Refuge Cove, named among the Prom's popular dive locations in Parks Victoria's park note and listed by Scuba Doctor at 2–25 m as a safe site suitable for boat diving and shore snorkelling. The dive is a rocky wall descending to a rocky and sandy bottom at 20 m, and the listing's species list marks it out as the eastern Prom's macro and oddity site: large sponges, nudibranchs, sea spiders and basket stars on the wall, morwong, leatherjackets, boxfish, old wives and boarfish over it, and weedy seadragons, southern coralfish and many other novel species occasionally encountered. Basket stars are rare in Victorian recreational depths and sea spiders are easily overlooked, so this is a site to dive slowly with a torch and a macro lens.
The granite wall is broken and ledged rather than sheer, with kelp above and a band of sponges, ascidians and bryozoans below, and the weed line along the sand edge is where the seadragons are found. Southern coralfish – a species more typical of NSW – occur here because the eastern Prom is where the East Australian Current's warm-water strays reach Victoria, and the same reason makes Horn Point a place where unusual fish turn up. It is a boat site from Port Welshpool, most often dived between Sealers Cove and Refuge Cove on an eastern Prom trip, and with the Refuge Cove anchorage 1.3 km away it can be dived from a yacht's dinghy.
It suits Open Water divers in calm conditions and photographers above all; within the marine national park, no take.
Getting there & entry
Headland between Sealers Cove and Refuge Cove on the eastern side of Wilsons Promontory, 1.3 km north-north-east of Refuge Cove's north wall.
Boat only. Launch at Port Welshpool (sealed all-tide ramp, jetty and trailer parking on Corner Inlet, 2.5 hours from Melbourne) and run south through Corner Inlet's marked channels and out past Rabbit Island down the eastern Prom coast – about 30–40 km and 60–90 minutes to Sealers/Refuge Cove, longer to Waterloo Bay and South East Point. The coast is exposed to easterly and southerly swell and has no facilities; carry fuel, radio and all air, and plan around the weather window and Corner Inlet tides.
Horn Point is about 32 km from Port Welshpool, between Sealers and Refuge Coves; anchor in sand off the rocky wall in 12–15 m. The Sealers–Refuge walking track passes over the point and snorkellers with a long walk can reach the shore.
Entry: Giant stride or back roll from an anchored or live boat; descend the anchor/shot line
Facilities: Departure from Tidal River beach ramp, Port Welshpool or Sandy Point; No air fills at Tidal River or Port Welshpool; the nearest compressor is roughly 100 km away (Melbourne's south-east or Inverloch/Leongatha area by arrangement) – bring all cylinders or a portable compressor
Weather, swell & tides
Best with calm seas, minimal swell and no wind; light offshore north-west to south-west winds acceptable, strong onshore north-east to southerly winds not. Autumn calms. The eastern Prom coast is reached only after a long boat run from Port Welshpool, so the whole day's forecast must be settled: swell under 1–1.5 m, light winds, and no change due.
Easterly and south-easterly swell is the main problem on this coast; a westerly wind flattens it but makes Corner Inlet's entrance choppy on the ebb. Visibility is typically 10–25 m and best in autumn after several calm days.
Best season: Late summer to autumn (Feb–May) for settled weather and 20 m+ visibility; occasional calm winter days
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when Horn Point doesn't.
- Refuge Cove, South · 2 km · Max 9 m
- Rabbit Island, South · 13 km · Max 10 m
- Rabbit Island, North · 14 km · Max 10 m
- Norman Point, South (Little Oberon Bay) · 14 km · Max 18 m
How the dive is usually run
Descend the anchor to the base of the rocky wall at 15–20 m and follow it around the point, examining the large sponges and searching the wall and weed line for seadragons, basket stars and nudibranchs. Turn at half gas, return at 8–12 m along the top of the wall and finish under the boat.
Marine life
- Weedy seadragons →
- southern coralfish
- basket stars
- sea spiders
- large sponges
- nudibranchs →
- morwong
- leatherjackets
- boxfish
- old wives
- boarfish
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Beyond 18 m an Advanced certification (which includes a deep dive to 30 m) is the accepted minimum. Anything past 25 m is a deep dive in practice.
Open Water divers can dive the shallower section (typical depth 15 m); the full site to 25 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water.
Operators' own listing: Open Water.
Courses that help here
- Drysuit Diver – Cold water; locals dive dry for much of the year.
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Exposed to north-east to southerly winds; remote; no facilities; depth to 25 m.
Dive centres that go here
No dive charter operates at Wilsons Promontory. Sites are dived from club and private trailer boats – Dive La Trobe, VSAG, Melbourne University Underwater Club and Dive Victoria Group run occasional camping-and-diving trips – launching at Tidal River (beach launch, permit/key from Parks Victoria), Port Welshpool or Sandy Point. Wilsons Promontory Cruises (Port Welshpool) runs sightseeing cruises to Skull Rock and the islands but no diving.
Operators recorded for Horn Point
Scubabo Dive Victoria (Dive Victoria Group)
Named by sitesQueenscliff · Port Phillip Heads · VIC
Rebranded as Scubabo Dive Victoria, Queenscliff; dive.scubabo.com is live for 2026 with active charter bookings.
dive.scubabo.com · (03) 5258 1188
VSAG
Named by sitesWilsons Promontory · VIC
Victorian Sub-Aqua Group, a non-commercial dive club (est. 1954), not a shop or charter.
vsag.org.au
Dive La Trobe
Named by sitesBundoora · Wilsons Promontory · VIC
University dive club (est. 1968), not a shop; runs SDI courses.
divelatrobe.org.au
Wildlife Coast Cruises
Named by sitesCowes · Phillip Island & Western Port · VIC
Cruise/boat tour operator (seals, whales, Wilsons Prom), not a dive shop.
wildlifecoastcruises.com.au · (03) 5952 9500
Other dive centres in Wilsons Promontory
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views


Horn Point: frequently asked questions
How deep is Horn Point?
Horn Point reaches a maximum depth of 25 m, with the shallowest part at about 2 m; most of the dive is spent around 15 m.
What certification do I need to dive Horn Point?
Advanced Open Water is the recommended minimum. Open Water divers can dive the shallower section (typical depth 15 m); the full site to 25 m needs Advanced Open Water. Operators often quote Open Water. Rated intermediate because of depth beyond 18 m, cold water.
Can I shore dive Horn Point?
No, it is reached by boat (about 70 minutes). A dive centre is required: boat access only.
When is the best time to dive Horn Point?
Late summer to autumn (Feb–May) for settled weather and 20 m+ visibility; occasional calm winter days.
What marine life will I see at Horn Point?
Regularly recorded: Weedy seadragons, southern coralfish, basket stars, sea spiders, large sponges, nudibranchs, morwong, leatherjackets, boxfish, old wives, boarfish.
What wetsuit do I need at Horn Point?
7mm semi-dry with hood and gloves, or drysuit; drysuit preferred May-Nov.
How cold is the water at Horn Point?
Typically 17-20 °C in summer and 11-14 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at Horn Point?
Exposed to north-east to southerly winds; remote; no facilities; depth to 25 m. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to Horn Point?
The Alfred (Melbourne). In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Wilsons Promontory
The Prom is Victoria's wildest and clearest diving: granite pinnacles, walls and boulder fields around the Glennie and Anser groups and Skull Rock, deep wrecks like the SS Kanowna (115 m) and the Cape Liptrap sites, and water that can hit 30 m visibility. Fur seals at Kanowna Island and Norman Island add company.
Getting there: Charters from Port Welshpool or Tidal River, three hours from Melbourne; conditions cancel more trips than they permit.
All Wilsons Promontory dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
- scubadoctor.com.au/divesite.htm?site=Horn-Point
- scubadoctor.com.au/wilsons-prom-dives.htm
- scubadoctor.com.au/downloads/park-note-wilsons-promontory-marine-national-park.pdf
Data confidence: Medium · Being verified: Boat time estimated. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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