What tide is better in the bay for clearer water? Incoming or outgoing? Im talking more about the beallarine peninsula side because its closer for me. I havent dived up at portarlington/indented heads for a while so i wouldn't remember for that area, i was only diving cottage and Torquay on a low tide and it was pretty clear. so any ideas?

I find incoming tide gives better viz compared to the outgoing tide which drags a lot of muck out into the water.

The incoming tide has a more pronounced effect when there's been a few days of northerly winds to allow the ocean side to settle down meaning the water flushing into the bay is crystal clear straight from the sea!

My experience only, feel free to correct me

In PPBay the tide seems to make little difference (though a bit of a current can pick up, especially if the wind moves the same way). Down near the heads, current is much more noticeable of course.

On the ocean coast, there is no doubt that low tide is calmer - the swell seems to drop away. This can make the difference between getting in, or not. Too much swell can pick up sediment, and make conditions unfavourable. Why the height of the tide influences wave height is a mystery to me, but it is consistent. I normally time my ocean dives, starting about an hour before low water.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped

yeah ive only dived the ocean side 2 times with Low tides which i had to time an hour before, seems to be pretty clear.

You should be looking at the swell the days before to judge vis not the tides! Tides affects different spots differently too, think swell and wind direction and speed for vis out the back. Tides affect the swell height more than the vis.

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Like a farken underwater ninja!

The fish were blinded by overexposure to his pure awesomeness!

Jaka its common sense mate. Tides move water. If its been clean (or shitfull) ocean side then an incoming tide can bring in that water, especially places like Queenscliff that are on the doorstep of the heads. Likewise for the outgoing tide, if the area the water is coming from holds dirty or clean water then that's what you will get.

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bluedevilspear@hotmail.com