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The Open Heel snorkelling fin design is one that was originally designated as a cold water style which required the use of additional footwear in order to be used. The design of the foot pocket included an adjustable strap which allows for a more customised fit, but the foot pocket portion is usually made of a more rigid material. Wearing wet suit boots, water shoes or neoprene socks is required to prevent chaffing and irritation caused by the rigid material in the foot pocket on bare feet. Though known as cold water fins, these are also suitable for warm water use as well. Common names for this fin style are strap, cold water, pocket and open pocket.
There is a warm water, barefoot open heel snorkelling fin design that has been introduced which has been becoming increasingly popular with snorkelers. In this barefoot open heel design you will notice that the foot pocket uses the same flexible material as is found in the full foot design. This is still a strap design, but like the full foot is designed to be worn on bare feet. Having an adjustable heel strap means that the size range for a particular pair will be more generous than the full foot style. This is great if you are looking for someone whose feet are still growing. Be aware that there may be width issues as these are mostly engineered for average foot widths of your bare foot. These will not accommodate wetsuit boots or water shoes but may allow for the lycra or neoprene socks because they have no soles on them. You will see the bare foot strap fins more with the travel design than you will with the traditional length style.
The original Open Heel fins, intended to be used with dive boots, come into their own when entry to the water involves walking over rocks and rough surfaces. The boots/shoes worn will protect your feet. Then you slip on your fins at the water's edge. Whereas with full foot fins and warm water open heel fins, you have to walk barefoot to the water's edge with no protection for your feet. Please check out our range of Boots/Socks for use with original Open Heel snorkelling fins.
Need more information? Then please check out our Snorkelling Fins Buying Guide.
Altona Pier
Pier Dive | 
Shore access
Altona Pier | © Unknown
Part of Altona Pier has been closed until further notice due to structural concerns. The first 150 metres of the pier remains open. 17 July 2021
Recent dive inspections found that the outer section of Altona Pier, including the pier head, is not safe for public use due to failing piles and immediate closure of this section was recommended as a safety precaution while investigations are underway. For more about the Altona Pier closure, please see https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/news/2021/07/15/04/42/altona-pier-partial-closure-due-to-structural-concerns.
Plans for a new concrete pier are well underway. Construction is set to commence in the first half of 2022, with the new pier expected to be welcoming visitors by late 2023. For more information about the new Altona Pier, please see https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/projects/altona-pier-redevelopment.
Depth: 1 m (3.28 ft) to 5 m (16 ft)
Level: Open Water and beyond.
Altona Pier, in Hobson's Bay, runs out over shallow water almost to the end where the sandy bottom finally deepens to 5 metres or so. Good for both day and night diving with lots of sand dwellers and small fish.
The pylons are covered in muscles and at the end of the pier there lies a supermarket trolly. An excellent training ground for new divers close to the city of Melbourne.
Altona Pier
Fairly boring site with not much to see. Entry is best done with a back roll off the lower landing as it is very shallow.
The pier is very sandy and has a black muck towards the end. Marine life, what little of it is there, is very skittish. Puffers and fish like that around the pier. The most interesting sea creatures are found as statues at the start of the pier.
Probably better as a snorkelling site.
Don't forget to check out the artificial reef 40 to 65 metres seaward from the end of Altona Pier. As they are more than 30 metres away from the pier, you can go spearfishing on them.
Location: Altona
MELWAY Ref: Page 54 H11
Weather Required: N, NE, NW and W winds should be ok, or light S, SW and E winds. Not sure if it is affected by rain.
See WillyWeather (Altona) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
Access: Short walk from the car park near the beach. the car park is busy in summer.
Facilities: Free parking, toilets, lots of shops, park with benches to eat.
Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) Shore Based Reefs in Port Phillip
The artificial Port Phillip Shore Reefs were installed with the aim of improving recreational fishing opportunities for shore based anglers. The reefs are in a water depth of between 3 to 4.5 metres.
The shore based artificial reefs are:
- Altona Pier — Artificial reef 40 to 65 metres seaward from the end of Altona Pier.
- Frankston Pier — Articial reef approximately 40 metres seaward from the end of Frankston Pier.
- Portarlington Pier — Artificial reef 40 to 70 metres seaward of Portarlington Pier's rock wall section.
What Do The Reefs Look Like?
Each reef consists of 99 hollow dome shaped reef modules of different sizes arranged in three reef complexes of 33 reef modules each. The reef modules range between 170 and 340 kg in weight and 50 to 60 cm height, and have numerous external openings to allow movement of currents and fish through the modules.
See also, VFA: Shore Based Reefs.
Spearfishing is illegal within 30 metres of any pier or jetty and in Marine National Parks. See Spearfishing Laws.
Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.
Altona Pier Location Map
Latitude: 37° 52.384′ S (37.873071° S / 37° 52′ 23.06″ S)
Longitude: 144° 49.812′ E (144.830199° E / 144° 49′ 48.72″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
| Get directions
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2021-07-25 14:36:10 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Seaholme Reef, Altona, 1,447 m, bearing 67°, ENE
Altona, Hobson's Bay, Port Phillip.
Depth: 1 to 5 m.
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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.
The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.
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