The Arches

Reef Dive | Boat access

The Arches | Source: Visit Victoria

Depth: 15 m (49 ft) to 25 m (82 ft)

Level: Advanced Open Water and beyond.

The Arches is a popular dive reef that lies approximately 700 metres offshore from Port Campbell in the 48 hectares of The Arches Marine Sanctuary on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast approximately 200 km west of Melbourne. Spectacular limestone formations such as canyons, arches, caverns, ledges and vertical sinkholes in 19 to 25 metres of water make this a popular dive site. It is these structures that give the park its name.

Diving at The Arches

Due to the shaded nature of the caves created by the underwater arches, animals more often found in the deeper waters of Bass Strait can be seen here including gorgonians, sponges, bryozoans and hydroids. Encrusting or low profile sponges, less than 10 cm high, along with patches of encrusting soft coral (Erythropodium hicksoni) grow on the ledge edges.

The upper side of these reef structures are covered in thick, brown kelp (the kelp Ecklonia radiata is dominant) with an understory of delicate red coralline algae. These habitats support schools of reef fish, Port Jackson Shark, Dusky Morwong, Bluethroat Wrasse, Barber Perch, Bastard Trumpeter, Scalyfin, Zebrafish, Australian Fur Seals and a range of invertebrates such as Southern Rock Lobster (aka Crayfish), Black-lipped Abalone, and Sea Urchins. Seastars include Nepanthia troughtoni, Nectria macrobrachia and Tosia magnifica. Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis), Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) have been seen here.

Location: Port Campbell, Victoria 3269

Ideal Conditions: The Arches is open to the prevailing south-west winds and swells of the Southern Ocean in winter and in spring/summer prevailing south-east winds and swells. The area is characterised by high energy waves and cool water with flows from the Southern Ocean. See WillyWeather (Port Campbell Bay) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Boat Launching: Boats can be launched using the Port Campbell Jetty Crane. Restricted access to licenced permit holders. Vehicles not permitted on jetty unless authorised boat launching taking place. Permit inquiries please call Parks Victoria 13 1963.

The Arches Location Map | Source: Parks Victoria

The Arches Location Map with Bathymetry | Source: Parks Victoria

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.

The Arches Location Map

Latitude: 38° 37.965′ S (38.63275° S / 38° 37′ 57.9″ S)
Longitude: 142° 59.970′ E (142.9995° E / 142° 59′ 58.2″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2021-06-22 13:38:42 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-23 20:13:52 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Port Campbell Jetty, 1,472 m, bearing 332°, NNW
The Arches Marine Sanctuary.
Port Campbell, Shipwreck Coast.
Depth: 15 to 25 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.