Smiths Beach

Shore Dive | Shore access

Smiths Beach | © Unknown

Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 14 m (46 ft)

Smiths Beach is a one kilometre long south-west facing beach cove on Phillip Island, looking out into Bass Strait. Smith's Beach is great for seeing bommies, vibrant corals and sponges, large overhangs and a plethora of fish life. You can see Port Jackson sharks, Crayfish, Trigger fish, Swell sharks and Blue Devils.

From the gully entry you can head east to explore the rock shelves and reef structures to the east, or you can explore the reefs to the west as you head around to the main section of Smith's Beach.

From the beach entry you would typically venture east to explore the reef structures as you head around to the gully and beyond.

At the western end of Smith's Beach is Smith's Point which has an even more twisty reef to explore. It's a long walk along the beach, or a long dive heading west from the eastern beach entry point to get to Smith's Point. Thus Smith's Point is best explored by starting the dive at YCW Beach.

Location: Smiths Beach, Phillip Island, Victoria 3922
MELWAY Ref: Page 732 B7
Emergency Beach Location: A7

Smiths Beach Access Ramp | © Unknown

Parking: Smiths Beach Road, Phillip Island runs to a large car park on the 20 metre bluffs behind the eastern end of Smith's Beach. There is an all access ramp down to Smiths Beach from the car park.

Entry/Exit: There are two good entry points at Smith's Beach. As you get down onto the beach, head east (left) down to a gully which makes a good entry point. This entry point is somewhat protected from swells but you still need to be very careful of surges coming through the gap. Alternatively, just enter the water off of the sandy Smith Beach.

Ideal Conditions: Smiths Beach faces south so best dived with an offshore northerly wind. Best at high tide. See WillyWeather (Smiths Beach) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

See also, Smith's Beach and Smith's Point in "Shore Dives of Victoria" by Ian Lewis, 3rd edition page 145.

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.

Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung 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.

 

Smiths Beach Location Map

Latitude: 38° 30.413′ S   (38.506883° S / 38° 30′ 24.78″ S)
Longitude: 145° 15.581′ E   (145.259683° E / 145° 15′ 34.86″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2019-06-09 10:50:05 GMT, Last updated: 2022-03-14 15:00:07 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: YCW Beach, 861 m, bearing 286°, WNW
Phillip Island.
Depth: 2 to 14 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.