Meet the site
Table Rock is the flat sandstone headland that closes the south-eastern end of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, and it is the most interesting piece of terrain in the sanctuary. The point is undercut on its seaward side into ledges, overhangs and a cave-like cavity beneath the rock itself, with deeper water off the face than anywhere else along this shore and a bouldery bottom where slabs have fallen from the cliff. That structure attracts the sanctuary's bigger fish: dusky morwong, Port Jackson sharks resting under the overhangs, schools of old wives, moonlighters and zebrafish, scalyfin, Tasmanian blennies, Eastern Australian salmon passing outside in autumn, and smooth stingrays, southern eagle rays and fiddler rays on the sand at the base. Urchins and sea stars are thick on the rock and the cave holds cardinalfish and the occasional cuttlefish. Because the point is exposed to the south-west, it is also the sanctuary site most affected by weather; on a fresh south-westerly the outer face is white water and the dive should not be attempted. On a calm day with a high tide it is the sanctuary's best dive and a popular night dive, the undercut being close to Melbourne and full of nocturnal life. The entry is from Watkins Bay via steps from the Bay Trail, with parking in Rennison Street and a road crossing, and the nicest way to dive it is one-way: in at Watkins Bay, around the point, and out at the Sea Scouts Jetty ramp 200 m east, which sits just outside the sanctuary boundary.
What you might see
Snapper (juvenile pinkies), flathead, dusky morwong, zebrafish, old wives, moonlighters, scalyfin, Tasmanian blennies, blue-throat wrasse, leatherjackets, octopus, smooth stingrays, southern fiddler rays (banjo sharks), southern eagle rays, Port Jackson sharks, sea urchins, cushion stars, nudibranchs, seahorses and pipefish in seagrass
Location
Flat-topped sandstone point at the south-eastern end of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, entered from Watkins Bay below the Bay Trail east of Rennison Street, Beaumaris.
Facilities nearby
Street parking in Rennison Street; public toilets on the eastern side of Table Rock Point; cafes in Beaumaris; nearest air fills Scuba Culture
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
scubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auparks.vic.gov.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.