The Rip

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"The Rip" is a dangerous piece of water in Victoria, Australia connecting Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait.

Due to large tidal differences between the bay and the ocean, and a high rocky seabed, The Rip has claimed many ships and the lives of people through its seafaring history.

The location of the Rip is generally considered to be between the land points of Point Nepean and Queenscliff and is the main entrance for all shipping into Port Phillip Bay.

[edit] Heads of Port Phillip

Entering the heads of Port Phillip is a risky and dangerous procedure. Many sailors regard it as one of the most dangerous shipping paths in the world. Sometimes the height difference between Port Phillip and Bass Strait can be as much as five metres, so it is common to see massive amount of water flow from one side to the other side.

Large ships are banned from entering Port Phillip until they have a qualified 'pilot' onboard to help them navigate through the heads. The heads are very narrow, having a width of approximately two kilometres. When entering, large container ships have to follow a precise pre-determined path through the heads because the path is not a straight line but rather an S shape path.

Before the availability of Global Positioning System, many sailors used the two historical lighthouses on Queenscliff as a guide to get into the bay without hitting bedrock. A feature of the pair of lighthouses is that one is black and the other is white. The idea behind this is so that sailors, when using the lighthouses as a guide to get into the heads, can tell the two lighthouses apart and avoid confusion that could lead to disaster.

[edit] External link

• Web cam of "The Rip" at Port of Melbourne