Loch Ard Gorge is where the two survivors of the 1878 wreck of the Loch Ard were washed ashore, and it is one of the most photographed places on the Great Ocean Road. For divers it is something rarer: a shore entry on a stretch of coast that otherwise offers none, with sheer limestone walls, undercuts and caves dropping into water that reaches 25 m at the seaward end. The gorge is 300 m long, narrow enough that the two cliffs almost meet at the mouth, and its length damps the Southern Ocean swell so that the 80 m beach at the head is a low-energy pocket of sand even when the sea outside is running. Underwater the inner gorge is boulders, sand and limestone ledges in 2–8 m, with kelp, sponges and ascidians on the shaded walls, crayfish and abalone in the cracks, and the usual wrasse, sweep, zebrafish and leatherjackets. Toward the mouth the floor drops away, the walls become vertical and cut with caverns, and the water clears; this is where the dive becomes serious and where it should only be attempted in a genuine flat spell.

The Scuba Doctor rates the site Advanced and describes it as a sandy bay with steep cliffs that can provide access to the ocean if you are fit. Two cautions govern the dive. First, surf breaks across the entrance in rough conditions and the surge inside the gorge can be strong, so the outer half of the gorge is a fair-weather proposition. Second, the Loch Ard wreck under Mutton Bird Island, only a few hundred metres to the south-west, is emphatically not reachable from here; that is a boat dive from Port Campbell. Within those limits the gorge gives a memorable dive in an extraordinary setting, and a snorkel of the inner gorge is possible on many more days than a dive to the mouth. It suits experienced divers with surf sense who want to see the Shipwreck Coast from below, and it carries the added interest of the cemetery and the Loch Ard story a few minutes' walk from the car.

From Port Campbell drive 7 km east on the Great Ocean Road and turn right at the well-signposted Loch Ard Gorge turn-off into the large sealed car park (toilets, picnic area, the Loch Ard cemetery a short walk away). A timber staircase of about 100 steps leads from the car park down to the beach at the head of the gorge – a two-minute walk down, a solid carry back up. The beach is 80 m long and lies 300 m inside the gorge between sheer cliffs.

Enter from the sand. This is one of the busiest tourist stops on the Great Ocean Road, so arrive early for parking and expect an audience.

The gorge is a narrow slot facing south-west, and while its 300 m length damps the swell so that waves at the beach are usually small even in big seas, surf breaks across the entrance in anything but calm conditions and the surge inside the gorge is strong. Dive only when the swell is under about 0.8 m and the wind is light and northerly; if white water is breaking across the mouth, snorkel the inner gorge or go home. Do not, under any conditions, attempt to swim out to Mutton Bird Island or the Loch Ard wreck from here – the Scuba Doctor states it is far too dangerous.

Visibility is best on a high tide in settled weather. Diveable beyond the inner gorge perhaps 20 days a year.

Enter from the beach and fin down the gorge along one cliff wall, exploring the undercuts, caverns and boulder piles in 3–8 m. Only in genuinely flat conditions continue toward the mouth, where the walls drop to 15–25 m; turn no later than half gas, keep the same wall on your return for reference, and surface inside the gorge, not at the entrance. In any surge, stay in the inner half of the gorge.

No operator – occasional experienced shore divers and snorkellers on flat days; the beach is mainly a tourist attraction.