Ewens Ponds
Not Rated: CDAA site rating [2] (Listed in the CDAA directory as Not Rated, managed by DEW.). These categories are the named scheme's own; they describe the training a site calls for.
Three spring-fed limestone ponds, each about 10 m deep, joined by shallow channels. Open water divers and snorkellers may visit with a park permit; there is no overhead environment and the CDAA lists it as Not Rated.
Ewens Ponds Conservation Park protects three basin-shaped, spring-fed ponds linked by shallow channels, about 36 km south of Mount Gambier. Each pond is roughly 10 m deep and underwater plants grow to about 6 m, some of them species not found fully submerged anywhere else.
Unlike most sites in the region, the ponds are open-water dives: the park requires only an entry-level scuba certification, and visitors enter at the first pond and leave at the third. They are included here because they belong to the same limestone spring landscape and appear, unrated, in the CDAA site directory. The park closes the ponds to diving and snorkelling every spring.
The environment
Clear, cold spring water over limestone and silt, with dense aquatic plants and native fish and crayfish; no overhead.
Conditions
Water averages 10-15 °C, so the park requires a full-length wetsuit. The ponds close to diving and snorkelling each year from 1 September to 30 November.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Facilities
Picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets; no camping.
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (11)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The CDAA directory lists Ewens Ponds (5L159-161) as Not Rated, with DEW as manager. | Verified | [2] |
| Each of the three ponds is approximately 10 metres deep. | Verified | [1] |
| Water temperature averages 10-15 degrees.Typical range given by the park service; not current conditions. | Verified | [1] |
| Divers need at least ISO 24801-2 (Autonomous Diver), such as PADI Open Water, CMAS one star, SSI Open Water or NAUI Scuba Diver; a full-length wetsuit is mandatory; groups are 2 to 6 people. | Verified | [1] |
| Ewens Ponds are closed annually for snorkelling and diving from 1 September to 30 November inclusive.Park page viewed 2026-10-14, which falls inside the annual closure period. | Verified | [1] |
| Snorkelling and diving timeslots run from 5:00 am to 12:00 am, in one-hour sessions with a maximum of two per person per day. | Verified | [1] |
| Fees apply for permits, issued on an annual or single basis; entry to the park is free.Amounts not shown on the park page. | Verified | [1] |
| The park has picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets, with no camping. | Verified | [1] |
| Coordinates are the mapped centre of the conservation park. | Verified | [3] |
| Coordinates are the mapped centre of the conservation park. | Verified | [3] |
| Dive Experience sells a guided double dive at Ewens Ponds and Kilsby Sinkhole and a guided Ewens Ponds snorkel tour.Provider claim. | Reported | [4] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction