Meet the site
Tea House Reef is the heart of Ricketts Point and, in The Scuba Doctor's phrase, Dive Central for the sanctuary. It is a broad shelf of Beaumaris sandstone directly off the yacht club and teahouse, cut by a series of parallel channels that run seaward from the reef top at about a metre to valleys at 3 m and finally to an outer edge at 4-5 m where the rock gives way to sand. The channels do the navigating for you, which is why it is the sanctuary's main training and night-dive ground and the first stop for most snorkel tours. Fish are dense and tame after twenty years of protection: schools of juvenile snapper, zebrafish and old wives hang in the channels, dusky morwong and scalyfin patrol the algae, blennies fill the crevices and blue-throat wrasse follow divers hoping for disturbed food. Octopus are common under ledges, smooth stingrays and southern fiddler rays lie in the valleys and on the outer sand, and Port Jackson sharks turn up in winter. The rock is heavily grown with bryozoans, sponges, cushion stars and urchins and the seagrass edges carry pipefish and seahorses. At night the reef changes character completely, with octopus, squid, rays and hunting fish everywhere. Facilities are the best of any bayside shore dive: ticketed parking within 100 m, toilets, a wheelchair ramp and accessible shower and toilet for disabled snorkellers, a cafe, and lighting. The cost is crowds: on summer weekends the yacht club beach is thick with snorkellers, training classes and families. Go early, midweek or at night and it is as good a shallow reef dive as Melbourne offers.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Tea House Reef, Ricketts Point is recorded as Shore/Rock Platform in Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay. The listed access is shore. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Tea House Reef, Ricketts Point suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Tea House Reef, Ricketts Point through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
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
Wide shallow reef with a series of channels directly in front of the Beaumaris Yacht Club and the Ricketts Point Teahouse, the central and most-used part of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary (beach marker B17).
Facilities nearby
Ticketed car parks at Beaumaris Yacht Club and teahouse; public toilets, wheelchair ramp and accessible shower/toilet; Ricketts Point Teahouse cafe; night lighting; 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.
