Natural Jetty - Rottnest Island snorkelling

The Natural Jetty, near Kingstown at the eastern end of Thomson Bay, is the starting point for one of the easiest wreck snorkels on Rottnest. A short way west, just off the beach and hard against the reef, lies the wreck of the Uribes, a schooner lost in 1942 that has its own Spot page.

Little has been published about the reef at the jetty itself, so the wreck is the main attraction: its winch, windlass and parts of the hull sit in shallow water and can be seen from the surface. This stretch of shore is outside the Kingston Sanctuary Zone but within the part of the marine reserve where spearfishing and netting are banned. It is a safe snorkel in calm weather, but not when wind and waves are blowing onshore.

• Experience level: Easy
• Depth: 1-4 m
• Access: South side of Thomson Bay near Phillip Point, about a 20-minute walk south from the settlement, or the Island Explorer's Kingstown Barracks stop. Public toilets, showers and drinking water near Kingstown Barracks (RIA map). Shore entry from the sandy point beside the natural rock jetty. Not safe when wind and waves blow onshore (WA Museum).
• Uribes Wreck Nearby
• Shore Entry
• Shallow Water
• No-Spearfishing Area
• Historical Interest

See live conditions for every Rottnest Island snorkelling spot