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Drysuits - Neoprene
Neoprene is a type of synthetic rubber, often also used in neck and ankle seals in drysuits. Neoprene can be specially prepared to contain millions of tiny enclosed air bubbles, forming a buoyant and thermally-insulating material. This is called "foamed neoprene" or "foam-neoprene" (not all neoprene contains foam).
As foam-neoprene tends to shrink over the years as it out-gases and slowly becomes more rigid. An alternative is crushed or rolled neoprene, which is used in the construction of all Northern Diver neoprene dry suits and is less susceptible to volume changes when under pressure, and shrinks less.
Crushed neoprene dry suits provide some insulation by themselves (unlike membrane dry suits), but even with foam dry suits, thermal under-suits are usually worn. With a crushed neoprene suit, less insulation is needed underneath.
The undersuits usually vary from a fine base layer similar to the Northern Diver Thermalskin, up to a thicker layer like the Northern Diver Arctic Base or Metalux Arctic. Some people also use a standard wet suit (worn dry), or polyester fabrics used in mountaineering and other cold weather uses (these may also be in pieces, including vests or sleeveless vests). Such fabrics also ultimately insulate in the same way as foam, using air in which convection is retarded by the small sizes of the air spaces. However, per volume and weight of fabric, the best-insulating dry polyester fabrics are more effective than foam, because their air pockets are smaller.
Quarantine Station Reef
Drift Dive | 
Boat access
Depth: 12 m (39 ft) to 22 m (72 ft)
Level: Advanced Open Water and beyond.
Named after the Point Nepean Quarantine Station, this is a fantastic drift dive site. It's located about 200 to 300 metres out in front of the old Quarantine Station in Ticonderoga Bay, on Point Nepean inside Port Phillip.
The quarantine station operated for over 100 years from the early 1850s to about 1950. During that time hundreds of ships anchored here for extended periods of time, to ensure that no communicable diseases were brought into the colony of Melbourne.
The reef here has its top in about 12 metres of water and runs East to West parallel to the current. The reef drops away to the South with depths of 20 metres able to be reached. The reef is very nice with lots of soft corals and sponges.
It's the possibility of spotting artefacts discarded from the sailing vessels over 100 years ago, that make this dive exciting. The site has 6 large anchors and is littered with old bottles, china plates, bowels, cups, clay jugs and the occasional 9 inch black powder gun shell. Some very good finds have been made in this area including intact plates from the White Star Line, P&O, Black Ball Packets, Pacific Steam Navigation Company, A.U.S.N.C and a full carving plate from the Albert Star. One day it's just an underwater sand dune, the next day a treasure display.
This site can be shore or boat dived and can be dived on any tide or slack water. The best time is when the water is moving and drift diving is the most common way to find things and cover a large area without swimming too hard.
While there is a light reef area, it's mostly a sandy bottom. There is not a lot of life on the bottom. At times there can be a lot of Spider Crabs, and Stingray hidden in the sand. The odd pod of Dolphins and the occasional Seal can be seen in this area.
Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.
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.
Quarantine Station Reef Location Map
Latitude: 38° 18.222′ S (38.3037° S / 38° 18′ 13.32″ S)
Longitude: 144° 41.030′ E (144.683833° E / 144° 41′ 1.8″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-29 13:41:41 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: Cattle Jetty Drift, 380 m, bearing 308°, NW
Depth: 12 to 22 m.
Dive only on: SWF, SWE.
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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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