A woman has drowned after being swept off the rocks near Cape Schanck on Monday afternoon.

Police said emergency services located the woman in the water near the bottom of the Cape Schanck boardwalk at about 12:15pm.

The woman was winched from the water, but had already died when her body was recovered.

Police said she was among a group of three people who were swept off the rocks near the boardwalk.

The two others made it back to shore safely.

The death was not believed to be suspicious, police said.

It is the fourth drowning in the waters around Cape Schanck and Bushrangers Bay since 2018.

Cape Schanck is an unpatrolled beach, with the the nearest patrolled beaches at Gunnamatta and Point Leo surf lifesaving clubs.

Liam O'Callaghan, the lifesaving response manager at Life Saving Victoria, encouraged beachgoers to exercise caution following the incident.

"We don't encourage swimming at unpatrolled beaches, we really encourage people to swim between the red and yellow flags or at a pool where there's lifeguards or lifesavers there to supervise you," he said

"If you do go to a beach that's unpatrolled we really want to encourage you to know [the] limitations of you and those you're with and make good decisions.

"Keep an eye on the weather and conditions. Conditions can change very quickly."