Williamstown Beach Rotunda

Shore Dive | Shore access

Williamstown Beach Rotunda
© Google Street View

Depth: 1 m (3.28 ft) to 6 m (20 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

The Williamstown Beach Rotunda diving and snorkelling site is located off the Esplanade, Williamstown at the eastern end of Williamstown Beach, and the northern end of Port Phillip. It has an easy beach entry and exit and there are lots of critters to see. It's also close to the Melbourne CBD and while fascinating during the day, also makes for a pleasant night dive.

Williamstown Beach is backed by the Esplanade, making it a very accessible beach. The Williamstown Beach Rotunda is located at the eastern end just west of the breakwater. The beach is 550 metres long and faces due south. It receives waves during strong southerlies.

Diving and Snorkelling at Williamstown Beach Rotunda

Seahorse at Williamstown
© Phil Watson

Proceed from the car park down onto the beach and enter the water just west of the groyne. Head south-west out past Point Johnson until you get to 4 to 5 metres of water depth. Then head south-east for a timed period which will take you across quite a few small reefs down to 5 to 6 metres. Return on a timed reciprocal course. Exit back onto the beach.

There is plenty of boat traffic here so stay away from the surface if you hear a boat coming. Always tow a float with a dive flag. Beware of fishing lines from fisherman that cast off from the groyne (breakwater). Always take a dive knife and/or line cutter.

Williamstown Beach Rotunda Dive Site Map | © The Scuba Doctor

Williamstown Beach Rotunda Parking
© Google Street View

Location: Esplanade, Williamstown, Victoria 3016
MELWAY Ref: Page 56 B11

Parking: You can park at the eastern end of Williamstown Beach in the Williamstown Rotunda Car Park on the Esplanade between Garden Street and Giffard Street. Parking is metered so make sure you get a ticket. There is also roadside parking along the Esplanade. Of course, getting a car park is problematic on busy days in Summer. Before gearing up check out the water. If you see lots of white water, head on home.

Facilities: There are plenty of public toilets, cafe and BBQ facilities nearby.

Warning: Always go with a buddy and carry a dive knife. Make sure you tow a dive buoy with dive flag.

Entry/Exit: Shore beach entry at the eastern end of Williamstown Beach, in front of the shelter, west of the groyne.

Ideal Conditions: There is little background swell in this part of Port Phillip — the water is calm when the wind is still. In moderate winds the waves are choppy and under 0.5 metre. Best with light to moderate offshore northerly to easterly winds, or light onshore south-easterly to north-westerly winds. Not diveable in strong southerly winds. Avoid after rains due to the rain runoff reducing viability. Though the high tide is ideal, you are able to dive at Williamstown Beach Rotunda on any tide. See WillyWeather (Williamstown Beach) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Divers have the opportunity to catch Sea Urchin at this dive site. Remember your catch bag, dive gloves and Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence. Please abide by all current fishing regulations if you intend to catch Sea Urchin.

See article-catching-sea-urchin for practical Sea Urchin catching advice from The Scuba Doctor, and melbourne-sea-urchin-dives for other dive sites where you can catch Sea Urchin near Melbourne.

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.

Williamstown Beach Rotunda Location Map

Latitude: 37° 52.116′ S (37.8686° S / 37° 52′ 6.96″ S)
Longitude: 144° 53.649′ E (144.89415° E / 144° 53′ 38.94″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2021-01-29 20:42:15 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-17 16:33:59 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Williamstown Beach Breakwater, 428 m, bearing 274°, W
Williamstown, Port Phillip.
Depth: 1 to 6 m.

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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.