Shanklin put-in

South of the slipway the coast is heavily engineered, with sea walls, revetments and a series of groynes running between Shanklin and Sandown; the groyne system here has held on to substantial quantities of sand. Below the defended frontage, Lower and Upper Greensand sandstone crops out in low cliffs and chines, and the foreshore towards Luccombe carries large sandstone boulders and rock-cut platforms.

The seabed and intertidal reefs along this coast lie within the South Wight Maritime Special Area of Conservation, designated for chalk, limestone and sandstone reefs that extend from the shore into the subtidal zone. Inland, immediately south-west of the launch, Greatwood and Cliff Copses is a Site of Special Scientific Interest notified for its woodland habitat, and the wider coastline sits within the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

To the north, the bay curves away past Sandown and Yaverland towards the chalk headland of Culver Down, topped by the Yarborough Monument; to the south, the esplanade ends at the wooded ravine of Shanklin Chine.