City of York Bay - Rottnest Island snorkelling

City of York Bay takes its name from the iron barque City of York, which struck a reef off the western side of the bay on the stormy night of 12 July 1899. Eleven men drowned, including her captain, when a lifeboat capsized in the heavy seas. The signalling failures behind the wreck led to an overhaul of the island's communications, and Bathurst Lighthouse was completed the following year.

Today the bay is a beach on the north-west coast with rocky reef along its edges. The wreck itself - broken iron frames, plates and deck framing among kelp-covered reef - lies about 200 metres out to the west and has its own Spot page.

Little has been published about snorkelling from the beach, so expect reef fish around the rocky edges rather than a marked trail. The wreck is protected heritage - look, but leave everything in place.

• Experience level: Moderate
• Depth: 1-4 m
• Access: Island Explorer Stop 16 (City of York), or walk or cycle in on the Karlinyah Bidi trail. Public toilets and a shower just off the beach (RIA); bring water and supplies. The City of York wreck is a separate boat site well offshore - do not try to swim out to it from the beach.
• Shipwreck History (1899)
• Rocky Reef
• Heritage Site
• North-West Coast
• Maritime History

See live conditions for every Rottnest Island snorkelling spot