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Line Arrows and Cookie Markers
Cave divers use a distinct set of markers to determine the direction and distance travelled in a cave. These markers must be identifiable through sight and touch should the divers find themselves in limited or zero visibility. Many wreck divers have also adopted using these directional and non-directional markers.
Directional markers are known as "line arrows" in the cave diving community. Many popular cave and wreck diving systems have permanent line arrows at regular intervals (for example, every 30 metres or 100 feet) pointing to the nearest exit. If there is a numerical value displayed on the line arrow, it is most likely identifying the distance to the nearest exit.
Non-directional markers are known as "cookies" in the cave diving community. Cookies are used to mark reference points for divers during circuits and traverses, distinguishing lines at a 'T' intersection, or placed by each member of a team on a jump or gap line to identify who has exited should the team get separated. Non-directional markers should have some form of personal identification printed on them such as initials, or drawings. Some cave divers add a personal tactile element to help identify their marker should they encounter zero visibility; these tactile identifiers may include slits on the side or holes punched through the marker. A non-directional marker is only to be referenced by the diver or team who installed it and should be ignored by others.
Referencing Exit Markers (REM) are a relatively new marker designed to be used as an arrow by the diver placing it and a cookie by others. It's a hybrid marker. A REM is rectangular in shape with slots included enabling divers to attach it to a line. It also has blank space available to include personal or team identification on one side and a small slate on the other to write on for reasons such as survey work, team separation (i.e. I exited the cave at 37 minutes), and more.
You can trust the range of top-quality line markers and cookies from The Scuba Doctor.
Ocean Drive, Port Fairy
Reef Dive | 
Shore access
Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 20 m (66 ft)
Level: Open Water and beyond.
Ocean Drive is a diving and snorkelling site which lies on the south side of Port Fairy on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast where Ocean Drive intersects with Phillip Street. It's to the west of Pea Soup Beach.
Diving and Snorkelling at Ocean Drive, Port Fairy
The Ocean Drive, Port Fairy beach faces south into the Southern Ocean and has lots of fish and invertebrate life. Nice site for snorkelling.
Best option is to explore the reefs to the east and west. Night diving is great here too, lots of critters including Maori Octopus and Dumpling Squid come out at night.
Ocean Drive, Port Fairy Parking
© Google Street View
Location: Ocean Drive & Phillip Street, Port Fairey, Victoria 3284
Beach Marker: Ocean Drive 3
Parking: There is roadside parking along Ocean Drive, Port Fairey. Before gearing up check out the water. If you see lots of white water, head on home.
Safety First: This area is frequented by boats, so please make sure you display your dive flag in this area.
Entry/exit: Enter and exit from the beach.
Ideal Conditions: Diving Ocean Drive, Port Fairy requires calm conditions, a very low swell, plus light offshore north-westerly to north-easterly winds. See WillyWeather (Pea Soup Beach) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
Boat Launching: You can also tackle this as a boat dive site. Boats can be launched at the Port Fairy, Griffiths Street Boat Ramp.
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Eastern Maar country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Eastern Maar people of south-western Victoria between the Shaw and Eumerella Rivers and from Yambuk in the south to beyond Lake Linlithgow in the north. This truly ancient Country extends as far north as Ararat and encompasses the coastal townships of Port Fairy in the west, Warrnambool, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Lorne, and Airies Inlet in the east, including the Great Ocean Road area. It also stretches 100 metres out to sea from low tide and therefore includes the iconic Twelve Apostles. "Eastern Maar" is a name adopted by the people who identify as Maar, Eastern Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Kuurn Kopan Noot and/or Yarro waetch (Tooram Tribe) amongst others. We wish to acknowledge the Eastern Maar as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging.
Ocean Drive, Port Fairy Location Map
Latitude: 38° 23.521′ S (38.39201° S / 38° 23′ 31.24″ S)
Longitude: 142° 13.223′ E (142.220385° E / 142° 13′ 13.39″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
| Get directions
Added: 2022-05-19 11:52:46 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-24 18:57:18 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Water Tower, Port Fairy, 816 m, bearing 244°, WSW
Port Fairy, Shipwreck Coast.
Depth: 2 to 20 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.
