Kingston SE's jetty is a shadow of its former self. The first jetty, of 1864-65, was 155 m long and ended in 1 m of water; its 1876 replacement stretched a remarkable 1,432 m to reach 5 m depth across the shallow shelf of Lacepede Bay. Storms damaged it in 1924 and 1958, and today's structure is a remnant. The state has included Kingston SE in its jetty business planning, and the Scuba Divers Federation of SA tracks its future.

For divers and snorkellers it is a shallow, sheltered, low-key site. The bay's bottom is sand and seagrass, with the pylons providing the only hard structure: sponges, ascidians and algae, with small fish, crabs and occasional squid and cuttlefish. Visibility is usually limited by the shallow, easily stirred sand, but on calm summer mornings it clears enough for a pleasant snorkel. Rays and flathead rest on the sand, and the seagrass holds pipefish and juvenile fish.

There is little published dive information and it is not a destination site. Its value is convenience: it is right in town beside the relocated Cape Jaffa lighthouse (moved here in 1975-76 and open during school holidays), and it offers a sheltered splash for families and snorkellers travelling the Princes Highway. Serious divers should use a boat to reach Margaret Brock Reef, 27 km to the south-west. There is no dive shop in Kingston SE, so bring full cylinders from Mount Gambier or Adelaide. In summer the town's foreshore, the Big Lobster and the Cape Jaffa lighthouse make a jetty snorkel an easy family stop on a road trip.

Kingston SE is about 300 km south-east of Adelaide on the Princes Highway (Dukes Highway via the Coorong) and 20 km north-east of Cape Jaffa. The jetty is on the foreshore at the end of the main street; park on the foreshore near the jetty base, where the relocated Cape Jaffa lighthouse also stands. Gear up at the car, walk in from the beach alongside the jetty or use a ladder.

The water is shallow, so fins go on in waist-deep water.

Lacepede Bay faces north-west and is sheltered from southerly swell but very shallow, so any wind – particularly westerlies and north-westerlies – stirs the sandy bottom and reduces visibility to a few metres. Seagrass wrack accumulates after storms. Summer mornings before the sea breeze are best.

No current to speak of.

A snorkel or shallow scuba along the pylons and over nearby seagrass; follow the jetty out, turn at half gas and return on the other side.

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