Dive slate · divesites.com.au · printed 7 Nov 2026
The Pines
Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves, South Australia · near Mount Gambier
| Depth | 0–30 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum level | Cave/Cavern certification |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
| Access | Shore |
| Entry | Small entrance into the chamber (details via ForestrySA booking) |
| Current | None |
| Visibility | 15-30 m |
| Water | summer 14-15 °C, winter 14-15 °C |
| Suit | Drysuit strongly recommended (constant ~14-15°C groundwater, long dives); 7 mm wetsuit with hood minimum for short dives |
| Best season | Year-round (constant groundwater temperature); summer/autumn gives warmer surface intervals; forestry sites close on Total Fire Ban days |
| Bottom time | 40 min |
| Position | -37.80000, 140.55000 (approximate) |
| Permit | ForestrySA permit (online booking) and CDAA membership at the appropriate grade |
| Nearest chamber | Royal Adelaide Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Adelaide) – about 450 km by road from Mount Gambier; evacuation is normally by aeromedical retrieval (RFDS/MedSTAR) via Mount Gambier Hospital. The Alfred (Melbourne) is a similar distance. DAN/Divers Emergency Service 1800 088 200. |
| Emergency | 000 · DAN Asia-Pacific diving emergency 1800 088 200 |
The Pines
Also known as The Pines (5L61), Pines Cave
A tight entrance opening into a large, clear chamber, with a signed deep Advanced Cave section below 25 m.
Near Mount Gambier · Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves, South Australia
- Depth
- 0–30 m
- Minimum level
- Cave/Cavern certification
- Access
- Shore
- Boat ride
- —
- Water
- 14-15 °C
- Visibility
- 15-30 m
The Pines0–30 m · Cave/Cavern certification · Shore
Dive factsDepths, conditions, location & safety
Season
In season nowBest months: year-round.
Year-round (constant groundwater temperature); summer/autumn gives warmer surface intervals; forestry sites close on Total Fire Ban days
- Best months
- Now (November)
Dive facts
- Depth
- 0–30 m
- Typical depth
- 18 m
- Certification
- Cave/Cavern certification
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Depth tier
- Advanced Open Water (18–30 m)
- Access
- Shore
- Dive centre needed
- Yes – permit/guide required
- Shore / independent
- No
- Current
- None
- Visibility
- 15-30 m
- Water temp (summer)
- 14-15 °C
- Water temp (winter)
- 14-15 °C
- Water
- Cold Freshwater
- Bottom time
- 40 min
- Dive traffic
- Moderate (occasional charters/club dives)
- Night dive
- No
- Snorkel friendly
- No
Exposure suit
Drysuit strongly recommended (constant ~14-15°C groundwater, long dives); 7 mm wetsuit with hood minimum for short dives
Location
ForestrySA Green Triangle forests · Limestone Coast – Mount Gambier sinkholes & caves
-37.80000, 140.55000
Approximate position — not for navigation.
Open in Google MapsPrimary source: cavedivers.com.auMarine park & permits
ForestrySA permit (online booking) and CDAA membership at the appropriate grade
Nearest recompression chamber
Royal Adelaide Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Adelaide) – about 450 km by road from Mount Gambier; evacuation is normally by aeromedical retrieval (RFDS/MedSTAR) via Mount Gambier Hospital. The Alfred (Melbourne) is a similar distance. DAN/Divers Emergency Service 1800 088 200.
Diving emergency: call 000, then DAN AP 1800 088 200.
Trip planner
Build a trip around The Pines →
A day-by-day plan for Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves with this site locked in.
This guide is a planning aid. Conditions change daily — confirm with a local dive centre and dive within your training. Data & safety notes.
Dive profile
How this site rates
Scores are computed from the recorded data, not opinions. How?
At a glance
The Pines is a cave / cavern dive in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves, SA, 0–30 m, suited to Cave/Cavern certification divers.
Rated advanced because of depth beyond 18 m, an overhead environment, cold water.
Why dive here
- A tight entrance opening into a large, clear chamber, with a signed deep Advanced Cave section below 25 m.
- Visibility often reaches 15-30 m.
About The Pines
The Pines is one of the most popular ForestrySA cave sites and a dual-rated dive: the CDAA lists it as Cave with an Advanced Cave section. Its description is simple – 'small entrance cuts back to large clear chamber; lower level between rocks can cloud up badly' – and that captures the dive well.
The squeeze of the entrance gives way to a big, open chamber with clear water that feels spacious after the approach, and it is this chamber that most Cave divers come for. Lights reveal rock walls and a floor broken into boulders; the lower level between the rocks is where silt lies thickest and where visibility can be destroyed in moments, so good divers stay high and keep their fins still.
Below 25 m, two stop signs mark the start of the Advanced Cave section. Cave-level divers must not go past them, and the CDAA requires more than the standard Advanced Cave rating to continue: advanced decompression, extended range and advanced nitrox certifications, reflecting the deeper, decompression-heavy nature of that part of the cave.
As a ForestrySA site it is booked through the forestry portal and closes on Total Fire Ban days. For newly rated Cave divers it is a rewarding step up from the Engelbrecht East passage; for technical divers the deep section offers a genuine decompression cave dive close to Mount Gambier. Book early in summer, when fire bans can remove several days at short notice.
Getting there & entry
A ForestrySA cave near Mount Gambier where a small entrance opens into a large clear chamber, with an Advanced Cave section below stop signs at 25 m.
Book online through the ForestrySA caving portal (forestrysa.com.au/caving – select the cave and date, then enter diver details); ForestrySA recreation staff can help by email (recreation@forestrysa.com.au) or on 08 8391 8800 during office hours. Collect the key as instructed (Mount Gambier Visitor Information Centre for most forestry sites), then drive into the Green Triangle pine plantations on forestry tracks using the booking directions. Park at the site, keep tracks clear for fire vehicles, and carry gear to the entrance.
Forestry sites are closed on declared Total Fire Ban days.
Entry: Small entrance into the chamber (details via ForestrySA booking)
Facilities: None – forest parking. Fills in Mount Gambier.
Weather, swell & tides
Underground sites are unaffected by swell or wind; the constraints are the ForestrySA booking, the key, and fire danger – all forestry sites close on Total Fire Ban days (frequent December-March) and fires are prohibited 1 November-30 April. Heavy rain turns forest tracks slippery and can wash debris into entrances. Water is a constant ~15°C, so long cave dives need drysuits.
Snakes are active near entrances in warm weather.
Best season: Year-round (constant groundwater temperature); summer/autumn gives warmer surface intervals; forestry sites close on Total Fire Ban days
If it's blown out
Sheltered or shore sites within 25 km that often work when The Pines doesn't.
- Cape Banks – Carpenter Rocks · 19 km · Max 12 m
- Engelbrecht Cave – East · 20 km · Max 8 m
- Engelbrecht Cave – West · 20 km · Max 12 m
How the dive is usually run
Enter through the small entrance, tie off, and move into the large clear chamber. Cave-rated divers explore the chamber and must turn at the two stop signs at 25 m; Advanced Cave divers with the required decompression/extended-range and advanced nitrox qualifications may continue into the deeper section. Stay high to avoid the lower level between rocks, which clouds badly.
Marine life
- Very little – occasional cave crustaceans
Linked species have their own page listing every site where they are recorded. All marine life →
Training required
Beyond 18 m an Advanced certification (which includes a deep dive to 30 m) is the accepted minimum. Anything past 25 m is a deep dive in practice.
At more than 25 m this counts as a deep dive: watch no-decompression limits and gas.
Courses that help here
- Enriched Air Nitrox – Longer no-decompression time at 25 m and deeper.
- Cavern Diver – An overhead environment.
- Drysuit Diver – Cold water; locals dive dry for much of the year.
- Peak Performance Buoyancy – Silt and low visibility punish poor trim.
Depth tiers: 0–10 m easy · to 18 m Open Water · 18–30 m Advanced (25 m+ is a deep dive) · 30–40 m Deep specialty · 40 m+ technical. All courses
Hazards & warnings
Silt in the lower level between rocks; overhead; depth and decompression in the Advanced section; forestry closed on Total Fire Ban days.
Technical notes
CDAA grade: Cave / Advanced Cave (5L61), owner ForestrySA. Cave divers must not pass the two stop signs at 25 m. Advanced section requires CDAA Advanced Cave plus advanced decompression, extended range and advanced nitrox.
Continuous guideline, thirds, three lights; deco gas for the deep section.
Dive centres that go here
CDAA Cave and Advanced Cave members via ForestrySA booking; used on CDAA Cave courses.
Operators recorded for The Pines
Diving Adelaide
ListedMarleston · Adelaide Metro · SA
An Adelaide training and guided diving operation serving local sites and organised trips.
divingadelaide.com.au · (08) 8122 5003
Deep Blue Ventures
Named by sitesMcCrae · Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Victoria-based technical/cave training operator running Mount Gambier courses (Kilsby-approved).
deepblueventures.com.au · 0413 429 533
Other dive centres in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves
Dive Experience
ProfiledMount Gambier · Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
A Mount Gambier business serving the region's cave and sinkhole diving community, including equipment and gas support.
dive-experience.com.au · 0478 693 760
Total Immersion Diving
Named by sitesMount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
Kilsby Sinkhole approved operator running CDAA cave courses in Mount Gambier; Facebook-only presence.
Reef 2 Ridge
Reported closedMount Gambier · Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves · SA
TripAdvisor marks it temporarily closed until further notice with the last review in 2018; the SDFSA directory lists only Dive Experience for Mount Gambier.
Map
7 pinned sites. Pins marked approximate on their pages show the general area only; not for navigation.
Satellite views
The Pines: frequently asked questions
How deep is The Pines?
The Pines reaches a maximum depth of 30 m, with the shallowest part at about 0 m; most of the dive is spent around 18 m.
What certification do I need to dive The Pines?
Cave/Cavern certification is the recommended minimum. At more than 25 m this counts as a deep dive: watch no-decompression limits and gas. Rated advanced because of depth beyond 18 m, an overhead environment, cold water.
Can I shore dive The Pines?
No, it is reached by boat. A dive centre is required: permit/guide required.
When is the best time to dive The Pines?
Year-round (constant groundwater temperature); summer/autumn gives warmer surface intervals; forestry sites close on Total Fire Ban days.
What marine life will I see at The Pines?
Regularly recorded: Very little – occasional cave crustaceans.
What wetsuit do I need at The Pines?
Drysuit strongly recommended (constant ~14-15°C groundwater, long dives); 7 mm wetsuit with hood minimum for short dives.
How cold is the water at The Pines?
Typically 14-15 °C in summer and 14-15 °C in winter.
What are the main hazards at The Pines?
Silt in the lower level between rocks; overhead; depth and decompression in the Advanced section; forestry closed on Total Fire Ban days. See the hazards section above for the full list.
Where is the nearest recompression chamber to The Pines?
Royal Adelaide Hospital hyperbaric medicine unit (Adelaide) – about 450 km by road from Mount Gambier; evacuation is normally by aeromedical retrieval (RFDS/MedSTAR) via Mount Gambier Hospital. The Alfred (Melbourne) is a similar distance. DAN/Divers Emergency Service 1800 088 200. In an emergency call 000, then DAN Asia-Pacific on 1800 088 200.
Diving in Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves
The limestone around Mount Gambier is riddled with water-filled sinkholes and caves, and they are the heart of Australian cave diving. Kilsby Sinkhole (65 m, clear as air), the Shaft (124 m), Piccaninnie Ponds' Chasm and Cathedral, Ewens Ponds' spring-fed creek, and the Tank Cave system with more than 8 km of passage. Most sites require Cave Divers Association of Australia rating; Kilsby and Ewens are open to recreational divers by booking.
Getting there: Five hours south-east of Adelaide or four from Melbourne. Sites are on private farmland or in national parks; all need bookings, some need guides.
All Mount Gambier Sinkholes & Caves dive sites and a suggested itinerary →
Sources
- cavedivers.com.au/index.cfm?leca=1831&module=BUSINESSDIRECTORY&pageMode=indiv&action=details&page_id=1404656
- forestrysa.com.au/visit-our-forests/green-triangle-forest/caving
- cavedivers.com.au/dive-sites
- scuba.com/blog/dive-craters-sinkholes-mount-gambier
Data confidence: Medium · Being verified: Maximum depth not published (v1 30 m); coordinates approximate.. Last updated September 2026. Know this site better? How to send a correction
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