Pope's Eye
Port Phillip Bay, VIC
About Pope's Eye
Pope's Eye is a horseshoe-shaped basalt-and-bluestone ring started in the 1880s as one of a planned four sea forts guarding the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Construction stopped before completion and the ring sits about 2 km inside the Heads, now part of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The interior basin is shallow (2 to 6 m), sheltered, and packed with marine life. The outer ring drops to 15 m onto a sand-and-rubble bottom. A resident Australasian gannet colony breeds on the masonry above water, and the structure is permanently colonised by sea fans, sponges, sea-stars and schooling fish. Year-round Australian fur seal visits make Pope's Eye one of the most reliable seal encounters in the bay.
Visibility at Pope's Eye
Visibility at Pope's Eye typically ranges from 5 to 15 metres, though it shifts with swell, wind and recent rainfall. Year-round; clearest in winter generally offers the best conditions for diving here.
Right now: approximately 2 m, 98% confidence (updated 22:16 AEST).