Frequently Asked Questions

Bay City Charters only offers the boat trips and does not run courses or hire gear. 

Bay City Charters does hire tanks however, and you are able to select tanks at time of booking.

We recommend that you support your local dive store and hire gear from them.

Departing Portsea:

Academy of SCUBA – Camberwell

Adreno – Cheltenham

All About Scuba – Coolaroo

Aquability – Mordialloc

Aquatic Adventures – Rowville

Dive 2U – Carrum Downs & Various Locations

Dive and Dive – Springvale

Diveline – Frankston

Extreme Watersport – Rosebud

Scuba Culture – Burwood

SCUBA Doctor – Rye

SCUBA Life – Hallam

Departing Queenscliff:

BayCity Scuba – Geelong

Snorkel and Dive Safari Altona Beach – Altona Beach

More operators are found on our Dive Industry of Victoria Association membership page.

We recommend minimum 7mm all year round however 5mm is fine between December – May. For your convenience a hot shower is available on the boat.

A hood and gloves are advisable.

1. We recommend that you should have dived in Victoria in the last 6 months
2. We recommend that you have done at least one boat dive before (not OW students)
3. You should have experienced diving in temperate waters
4. If you want to dive the Canberra, you should have done at least 2 boat dives in Victoria in the last 6 months.

We want everyone to have fun. In order to have fun, people need to be safe and be comfortable. If you are diving above your ability, you cannot be comfortable and therefore will not be having fun.

Please call us on 5248 1488 or message us on Facebook if you are unsure.

Yes, we do not come back to shore between dives if you have booked a double dive. We have a limited supply of second tanks onboard available for an extra fee, please advise if you would like one put aside for you at the time of booking. Please see our recommended dive shops for tank/gear hire below.

TIME:

You must be on time, please double check your booked times. The boat will not wait for you and will leave without you. In peak time please allow yourself more than enough time to drive down, park your car, collect gear, kit up and use the bathroom.

Important: Times are subject to change. You need to check the website schedule the night before your trip to see if there is any minor change +/- 30 mins. If there is any major change you will be contacted by SMS or phone, so please keep your phone handy! Please be fully ready to go at departure point 20 minutes prior to departure time. This includes being geared up in a wetsuit with all of your gear connected and ready to go. If you have hired tanks, they will be ready for you on the boat. If the weather is hot, please leave your suit undone, or go for a quick dip to remain cool. Being late or not being completely ready jeopardises the trip for others. Some of the trips we do are tide/current dependent and any delay can result in you missing the dive.

Please allow ample time for traffic, parking and getting geared up. We are unable to delay departure if you are running late, and you will forgo the cost of the tour.

LOCATION:

If you are unsure of where your departure point is located, please select your departure point from the list at the bottom of the website.