Seaford Pier is a short, unassuming pier on a long straight sandy beach, the kind of site that only local divers bother with, but it has its place. The pier runs 150 m west from the foreshore opposite the railway station into water that is barely a metre deep over the inshore sand bars and reaches about 5 m at the head. The bottom is sand with extensive weed beds under and around the pier, and the seagrass is the main attraction: garfish hang in the weed in schools, and a slow search finds pipefish, seahorses, gobies, sand crabs, flathead, small flounder, cuttlefish in spring and, at night, octopus, dumpling squid and stingarees.

The pylons carry mussels, sea squirts and algae with blennies, cardinalfish and small leatherjackets. It is a genuine beginner's dive: shallow, sheltered from the prevailing easterlies, with a sandy walk-in entry and a straightforward out-and-back navigation, and it is a good spot for a first night dive or for snorkelling with children. The sand bars are also its main hazard; the water is so shallow near the beach that jumping from the pier can put you onto a bar crest, which is why entry is always from the sand.

The pier is popular with anglers and the usual fishing-line precautions apply. It is close to Frankston, whose pier and Olivers Hill reefs are documented under the Mornington Peninsula, and to the offshore Tedesco artificial reef 3 km to the north-west for boat divers. In short: not a destination, but a useful local dive that fits between train stations.

Seaford is 35 km south-east of the CBD via the Nepean Highway or the Frankston Freeway; the pier is at the western end of Station Street, opposite the railway station (Frankston line). Park in the foreshore car park opposite Station Street (free, busy in summer) and walk 50 m across the sand to the pier. Enter from the beach on either side of the pier and swim out along the pylons; the water is very shallow over the sand bars for the first stretch, so surface swim until it is deep enough.

Exit on the same beach.

Best at high tide with easterly (offshore) winds. The pier faces west and any fresh westerly, south-westerly or northerly puts chop along it and stirs the sand; give it a miss in those. Visibility 3-6 m on a good day, better in winter, poor after rain because of the Kananook Creek and Patterson River outflows nearby.

No swell. Boat traffic passes close in summer and anglers use the pier all year, so carry a flag and a line cutter.

Enter from the beach, surface swim out to 2 m, descend and follow one row of pylons to the end (about 5 m), cross under the deck, return along the other row, and finish among the weed beds close to shore. Turn at half gas at the pier head.

No regular operator – independent and club dives; Aquability in Frankston is the closest dive shop and uses it occasionally for snorkel and training sessions.