Port Hughes Jetty is one of the most underrated jetty dives in South Australia and a favourite of macro photographers. Built between 1911 and 1913 to ship copper ore and grain from the Moonta mines region, it originally ran 430 m and now measures 417 m. The Dive Shack calls it famous for its abundance of small critters and photography opportunities, with predictable light currents and very shallow water.

Depth reaches about 6-7 m at the end, depending on tide, and the piles are wrapped in sponges, soft corals, ascidians and sargassum, with patches of white 'snow' growth on the outer piles. The Marine Life Society describes a maze of marine-life-covered pylons with colourful subjects and unusual soft corals. Fish life is prolific: the SDFSA notes large numbers of cowfish, and Divernet adds mackerel and scad schools.

The critter list is long. Divernet records anglerfish, blue-ringed octopus, weedy seadragons, seahorses, nudibranchs, stargazers, pipefish, squid and rays, and the jetty is well known for pyjama squid and dumpling squid on night dives, when the pile colours are at their most vivid. Conditions are typically calm with minimal current, and visibility often exceeds 10 m when the wind has east in it.

Entry is civilised – steps on the northern side about a third of the way out – and the facilities at the jetty head are some of the best on the peninsula. Port Hughes suits every level: new divers, night-dive beginners, snorkellers and serious photographers who will happily spend 90 minutes on a handful of piles. At only two hours from Adelaide, it is an easy day trip.

From Adelaide drive about 170 km (2 hours) via Port Wakefield and Kadina to Moonta, then 3 km south-west to Port Hughes. The jetty is on the foreshore beside the caravan park, general store and tavern, with ample parking at the jetty head. Walk about a third of the way out along the jetty to the steps on the northern side, where the water is roughly 2.5 m deep, and enter there.

Exit by the same steps.

The Copper Coast jetties face west into Spencer Gulf, so easterly winds – anything 'with east in it' – blow offshore and give the flattest water and best visibility, often over 10 m. Westerly and south-westerly winds blow straight onshore, raise chop and stir the fine sediment, reducing visibility to a few metres. Ocean swell barely reaches this far up the gulf, so wind is the controlling factor.

Tides are moderate; shallow sections and entry steps are easier around mid to high water. Summer afternoons bring south-westerly sea breezes, so morning dives are more reliable. Heavy rain has little effect.

Enter at the northern steps, turn seaward and work slowly along the piles to the end at 6-7 m, searching sponges for anglerfish and seahorses and the sand for stargazers and blue-ringed octopus. Return along the other side and back to the steps; on night dives spend time on the colourful pile bases.

No resident operator; a favourite of Adelaide photographers and clubs for day trips and night dives, and dived independently most weekends.