Quiet Corner earns its name. Tucked under the cliff at the north-western end of the Ricketts Point sanctuary, it is the most sheltered of the sanctuary's entries and the place Melbourne divers and snorkellers go when wind has blown out everything else on the eastern shore. McGregor Rock is the low sandstone outcrop off the beach; around and beyond it the reef runs in ledges and gutters at 1-5 m toward Banksia Point, with seagrass on the sand between.

Algae cover is thick and the fish life is, as The Scuba Doctor puts it, profuse: zebrafish and scalyfin over the rock, flathead and flounder on the sand, leatherjackets, blennies and moonlighters in the holes, with southern eagle rays sweeping the sandy patches and dolphins occasionally passing outside. It is shallow enough that most of it can be snorkelled and simple enough that a first-time night diver can navigate by keeping the reef on one side. The trade-offs are practical: there are no toilets, no beachside parking (park in Central Avenue and carry down the steps) and the beach is small.

But on a day of fresh south-westerly wind when the yacht club beach is a mess of chop and stirred sand, Quiet Corner is often still clear and calm, and that reliability is why it is on every bayside diver's list. It also pairs well with Half Moon Bay a kilometre north for a two-dive session with a short move of the car, and with Banksia Point 500 m south-east for a one-way traverse along the reef at high tide.

Follow Beach Road to Black Rock; Quiet Corner is at the corner of Beach Road and Central Avenue, about 1 km south-east of Half Moon Bay. Park on Central Avenue (roadside, free) as there is no beachside parking, then take the steps down from Beach Road about 40 m south-east of Central Avenue onto Quiet Corner Beach; the carry is around 100 m including the steps. Enter from the sand and head out toward McGregor Rock and the reef ledges beyond.

Exit up the same steps. There are no toilets here; the nearest are at the teahouse 1 km south-east.

Best with offshore light northerly to south-easterly winds. Avoid moderate to strong onshore southerly through westerly to north-westerly winds, which raise chop across the shallow reef flats, stir the sand and make the rock entries unpleasant; if you see white water over the reef from Beach Road, go elsewhere (Quiet Corner is the fallback). Dive just before high tide for the clearest water and enough depth over the reef top, which is exposed or awash at low water.

Visibility 3-8 m on a good day, better in winter, poor for two or three days after rain. No swell. Boat traffic outside the swimming zone is constant in summer, so tow a flag.

Enter from the beach, fin out to McGregor Rock, descend and circle the rock and ledges at 2-4 m, then work south-east along the reef toward Banksia Point at 3-5 m, turn at half gas and return along the inner side of the reef to the beach.

No commercial dive boat – shore site dived independently and by Melbourne dive shops for training and night dives (Scuba Culture in Cheltenham is the closest shop and uses the sanctuary regularly; Aquability and Melbourne Diving Services run club nights). Marine Care Ricketts Point runs guided snorkels in summer and Parks Victoria licensed tour operators run snorkel tours.