Service Description

Join us for a relaxed shore freedive focused on sea urchins and the local reef life around Portarlington and the Bellarine. Explore with a small group of qualified freedivers, learn where urchins live and enjoy time in the water with your dive buddies. Your instructor leads the briefing and supervises the group. Conditions and wildlife vary, so sightings and catches are never guaranteed. WHO IT SUITS Level 1 or equivalent qualified open-water freedivers who are comfortable diving with a buddy from shore. A pool-only qualification is not sufficient. This is a guided recreational experience, not a beginner lesson or certification course. Get in touch if you're unsure whether the session suits your experience. SESSION DETAILS • Introductory price — $30 AUD per person • Approximately 60 minutes total, including briefing, entry, water time and exit • Maximum four divers per instructor • Portarlington and the Bellarine • Meeting place and arrangements confirmed before the session WHAT TO BRING Bring a suitable wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins and weight system, dive gloves and a catch bag, plus a towel and warm clothing. Equipment hire is not included. We recommend Wettie 3 mm Workhorse Kevlar Gloves and the Wettie Kina Bag. These are special-order items; contact us to check fit, availability and delivery timing before your dive. Gear purchases are separate from the session price. Wettie Kevlar gloves: https://www.freedivegeelong.com/product-page/wettie-3mm-workhorse-kevlar-gloves Wettie Kina catch bag: https://www.freedivegeelong.com/product-page/wettie-kina-bag WHY THE REEF MATTERS Urchins belong on our local reefs. The problem starts when their numbers get out of balance. Too much grazing can strip away kelp and other seaweeds, leaving bare rocky areas known as urchin barrens. Losing that underwater forest means losing food and shelter for the fish, abalone and other marine life that depend on it. This is a local issue. Deakin researchers have documented urchin overgrazing and worked on restoring seaweed forests near Portarlington. We'll help you look more closely at the relationship between urchins, kelp and a healthy reef. Our session is a recreational experience; it is not part of Deakin's restoration project. URCHINS AND COLLECTION Our focus is observing sea urchins and understanding the reef. Collecting is only included when we expressly confirm it for your session and the site, access arrangements and fishing rules allow it. A licence or catch limit does not give permission to collect in a protected area. No catch is promised. CATCH LIMITS AND COLLECTION RULES • Short-spined white/purple urchins (Heliocidaris erythrogramma): up to 40 per person per day, with a possession limit of 40. The combined 40-urchin limit includes other urchin species except long-spined black urchins. • Long-spined black urchins (Centrostephanus rodgersii): currently no daily catch or possession limit under the 2026–27 Fisheries Notice. This exception is species-specific and does not apply to purple or green short-spined urchins. • No minimum legal size. • No collecting urchins in Port Phillip Bay's protected intertidal zone. VFA defines this from the maximum high-water mark out to where the water is 2 metres deep at any time. • No collecting in Marine National Parks or Sanctuaries. • Keep any lawful catch whole: do not remove roe or other soft tissue in, on or next to Victorian waters. • These are legal maximums, not a promised haul or a target. We may set a lower session limit. Current VFA rules: https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide/catch-limits-and-closed-seasons/types-of-fish/molluscs-and-other-invertebrates/sea-urchins Black urchin notice: https://www.vic.gov.au/fisheries-black-sea-urchin-recreational-catch-limit-and-commercial-operator-notice-2026-27 Protected intertidal zone: https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide/waters-with-fishing-restrictions/restricted-areas-intertidal-zone FISHING LICENCES If you will collect or attempt to collect urchins, hold a current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence unless you are exempt. Buy directly through Service Victoria or an authorised licence seller, and bring proof of your licence or applicable exemption. A 3-day licence is currently $10 and is separate from the dive price. Check the VFA page for all licence options, current fees and exemptions. Buy your licence: https://www.service.vic.gov.au/fishing Fees and exemptions: https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/fishing-licence LOCAL REEF RESEARCH Deakin's Portarlington kelp restoration work: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/news-and-media-releases/articles/kelping-the-bay-restoring-underwater-forests-one-kelpling-at-a-time Parks Victoria on urchin barrens: https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/news/2024/07/07/23/53/Species-behaving-badly Rules and licence fees checked 28 October 2026. Recheck official sources before each dive. BOOKING AND CONDITIONS Sessions depend on suitable conditions, instructor availability and the required site access arrangements. Your instructor will brief the group on entry and exit, current hazards, one-up/one-down buddy procedures and supervision. Complete the required Health, Consent & Risk Acknowledgement before participating. Conditions or safety requirements may mean a change, postponement or cancellation. See our Terms & Conditions for the full policy.