Ocean Drive runs along the southern, ocean-facing side of Port Fairy from the Moyne River mouth west past Pea Soup Beach toward the golf course and the water tower, and the basalt reef along it is the town's shore dive. The Scuba Doctor lists the site at the Ocean Drive 3 beach marker, west of Pea Soup, at 2–20 m, and describes abundant fish and invertebrate life on reefs that extend east and west, suitable for diving and snorkelling and particularly rewarding at night. The reef is the same dark volcanic rock that forms Griffiths Island and the Port Fairy shoreline, weathered into ridges, gutters and ledges that run seaward under kelp and mixed algae. The ledges hold southern rock lobster and abalone, the gutters are worked by wrasse, magpie perch, sweep, zebrafish and leatherjackets, and rays and flathead lie on the sand between the ridges. After dark the character changes: Maori octopus come out to hunt across the reef, southern dumpling squid appear on the sand, cuttlefish, crabs and shrimps are everywhere, and the dive becomes one of the better night dives in western Victoria for a diver with a torch and a macro lens.

Pea Soup, a few hundred metres east, is a small beach protected by a reef that turns it into a shallow lagoon and makes it the safest swimming and snorkelling spot in Port Fairy; it is a sensible place to introduce children to the reef life while the divers use the Ocean Drive entry. Boats can work the deeper reef to 20 m from the Griffiths Street ramp. The site is straightforward for Open Water divers – a sand entry, a reef to follow and depth that can be chosen – but it faces due south and needs a very low swell and offshore winds, and the Scuba Doctor's advice to display a dive flag against the frequent boat traffic along this shore should be followed. It is the natural complement to the Griffiths Island boat reefs for a diver spending a few days in Port Fairy.

From the Port Fairy town centre follow Sackville Street south to the coast and turn west onto Ocean Drive; park on the roadside near the Phillip Street corner at the Ocean Drive 3 beach marker, a 30 m walk to the sand. Pea Soup, the sheltered swimming beach behind its reef, is a few hundred metres east and is a good snorkel; the Water Tower reef lies about 800 m to the west-south-west. Enter from the beach and explore the reefs east and west.

Boats can launch at the Griffiths Street ramp and run west around Griffiths Island, about 15 minutes. Warrnambool Diving is the nearest dive shop (28 km).

This coast faces due south into the Southern Ocean and the reef breaks in any swell. The Scuba Doctor's rule is calm conditions, a very low swell (under about 0.5 m) and light offshore north-westerly to north-easterly winds; southerly and south-westerly weather closes it, and even a westerly pushes chop along the shore. Assess the water from the road – if there is lots of white water, do not enter.

Pea Soup's reef gives its beach shelter in moderate conditions and it remains a snorkel when Ocean Drive is not. Visibility is best in settled autumn weather and at high tide over the reef. Frequent boat traffic along this shore in summer.

Enter from the beach at the Ocean Drive 3 marker, descend on the reef edge in 3–4 m and work west along the basalt ridges and gutters, dropping to 10–15 m on the outer edge, then turn at half gas and return east along a shallower line to the entry. At night stay within 100 m of the entry in 3–8 m, where the octopus and dumpling squid are, and use the shore lights for reference.

No operator in Port Fairy; used independently by local and Warrnambool divers, and popular for night dives; Pea Soup is a family snorkel beach in summer.