Rocky Point, Torquay

Reef Dive | Shore access

Rocky Point, Torquay | © Phil Watson

Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 10 m (33 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

Rocky Point is an interesting diving and snorkelling site on the southern side of Torquay on Victoria's Surf Coast facing south-east into Bass Strait. It's about a 35 minute drive from Geelong.

Rock Point marks the south-western end of the 800 metre long Torquay Beach. It's where Spring Creek drains across the beach just west of the Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club. (The north-eastern end of Torquay Beach is marked by Point Danger.)

Diving and Snorkelling at Rocky Point, Torquay

The area that extends east from Rock Point and on the southern side, features an extensive series of limestone platforms, gullies, gorges, ledges, undercuts, hollows and small caves typical of the great-southern-reef. The outer limestone platforms are in 10 metres of water, with lots of impressive marine life in the limestone crannies.

On a very calm day with no wind and no swell, Rocky Point is a snorkelling and diving site for the experienced practitioners to explore. The site makes for interesting snorkelling and diving when conditions permit. However, Rocky Point is potentially hazardous in the wrong conditions.

There are two entry/exit point here (see details below). If you enter on the northern side of Rocky Point you'll be snorkelling south-east out to the tip of the point to explore the reefs there, and maybe head around the point to the southern side if conditions permit. If you enter on the southern side, it's all about exploring the reefs, channels and caves as you head east towards Rocky Point. Then you might head out east of the point.

Point Impossible Reef Parking
© Google Street View

Location: Torquay, Victoria 3228
MELWAY Ref: Page 494 F11
Beach Marker: 53W

Parking: Head south from Melbourne or Geelong along the Surf Coast Highway (B100). As you head south through Torquay, at the roundabout where the Surf Coast Highway become the Great Ocean Road, take the first exit left onto Bell Street, and then right onto Surf Beach Drive. At the southern end of Surf Beach Drive you'll find a large car parking area and the Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club. Before gearing up, walk out to the Rocky Point Lookout and take a look at the conditions. If you see lots of white water, head on home. If conditions are just right, gear up, walk to the entry point you've chosen, and enter the water.

Warning: This is a highly hazardous area dominated by strong rips. Always go with a buddy and be extremely careful. Experienced divers and snorkellers only.

Entry/Exit: There are two main entry/exit points at this diving and snorkelling site. The first, and easiest, is on the northern side of Rocky Point, just north of the Spring Creek entrance, in front of the Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club. The downside is that it's a long snorkel of to the interesting reef areas. The second, on the southern side, involves a trek from the car park, over Spring Creek, and along the path that leads to steps down onto the rocky beach on the south-western side of Rocky Point.

Ideal Conditions: Only attempt to dive or snorkel here if conditions are very calm with little wind, flat seas, and no swell. The beach area to the north of the point faces east, and the point south-east. However, much of the area to be explored is on the southern side of Rocky Point and faces south into Bass Strait. Light offshore north-westerly to north-easterly winds can be acceptable. If there has been rain on recent days, Spring Creek could have been discharging muddy water which will reduce visibility. See WillyWeather (Rocky Point) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.

See also, Rocky Point, Torquay in "Shore Dives of Victoria" by Ian Lewis, 3rd edition page 44.

Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes the coastline of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-east, the Bellarine Peninsula, and down to Cape Otway in the south-west. We wish to acknowledge the Wathaurong as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

 

Rocky Point, Torquay Location Map

Latitude: 38° 20.607′ S   (38.343442° S / 38° 20′ 36.39″ S)
Longitude: 144° 19.151′ E   (144.31919° E / 144° 19′ 9.08″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2022-04-10 15:52:07 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-10 16:10:05 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Point Danger, 736 m, bearing 65°, ENE
Torquay, Surf Coast.
Depth: 2 to 10 m.

DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.