Daveys Bay is a small, pretty cove tucked under the sandstone bluffs of Mount Eliza, home to a yacht club and a beach that most Melburnians have never heard of. The Scuba Doctor lists two dive sites here, and Pelican Point Reef is the northern one: a tumble of sandstone boulders and slabs running out from the low headland that closes the bay on its north-western side. In 3–5 m of water the rocks form a maze of small holes, crevices and mini-overhangs that shelter the usual small fish of the bay – southern hulafish, bullseyes, magpie perch, juvenile leatherjackets and moonlighters – along with decorator crabs, abalone, sea urchins and, on the sand fringe, sand flathead and fiddler rays.

Kelp and mixed brown algae cover the tops of the boulders, seagrass fills the sandy gaps, and in winter and spring the shallows are visited by cuttlefish and the occasional smooth stingray. It is described by the source as a pleasant, safe snorkelling and diving site suitable for newcomers, and that is exactly its niche: an easy, shallow, sheltered spot for a first sea dive, a family snorkel or a relaxed evening critter hunt. The two reefs of Daveys Bay – Pelican Point and Beacon Reef, 300 m to the south-west – can be combined in one dive by swimming across the bay, which gives a slightly longer outing.

Access is the only real effort: the track down the bluff is steep enough that a second trip for gear is worth avoiding. There are no facilities apart from the car park, and the site is far too shallow to interest divers looking for depth or drama. What it offers is a quiet corner of the eastern bay with genuine rocky habitat, clear water on the right wind, and a beach to sit on afterwards.

From the Nepean Highway at Mount Eliza turn west into Daveys Bay Road (off Old Mornington Road) and follow it to the end, where there is a small public car park above the Daveys Bay Yacht Club. A track and steps lead down the bluff to the beach – about 100 m and a moderate climb back with gear. Enter from the sandy beach and swim north-west along the shore to the reef off Pelican Point; the rocks are within 100 m of the beach.

Exit back onto the beach. Parking is limited and fills on summer weekends with yacht-club traffic.

Daveys Bay opens to the west-north-west and is reasonably sheltered from southerlies by the Mount Eliza headland, but westerly and north-westerly winds push chop straight in and stir up the sand. Dive it on easterly, south-easterly or light southerly winds; high tide gives more water over the inner rocks and easier access. There is no current.

Visibility drops after rain when the small creeks along the cliff coast run. Yacht-club dinghy and keelboat traffic is busiest on summer weekend afternoons, so morning is better and a float and flag should be towed.

Enter from the beach, surface-swim north-west to the rocks off Pelican Point, descend in 3 m and follow the reef around the point with rock on the right, exploring the crevices and boulder overhangs to a maximum of about 5 m. Turn on gas or time, return with the reef on the left, and finish over the seagrass in front of the beach.

No regular operator; used by local snorkellers and independent divers, occasionally by Frankston dive shops for introductory sessions.