Sites that work for snorkellers as well as divers: shallow reefs, lagoons, piers and sheltered bays where a non-diving companion can join in. Many are also the best first dives.
795 sites · the first 48 shown as cards, the rest listed by state below
Cairns · QLD
A sheltered central lagoon for snorkellers plus the 20 m 'Twins' bommies for advanced divers.
Townsville & Magnetic Island · QLD
Easy beach entry to granite-boulder canyons, swim-throughs and coral gardens with 50+ nudibranch species, turtles and…
Perth · WA
Perth's classic easy shore and night dive: century-old pylons encrusted with sponges and corals that hold excellent…
A sandy staghorn bay with sea stars and angelfish, and a bommie with a deep far edge.
Sydney Harbour · NSW
Dozens of White's seahorses on the net of a Middle Harbour swimming enclosure in under 5 m – Sydney's easiest and most…
Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay · VIC
Quietest entry in the sanctuary; very shallow close-in reef for snorkelling, children and relaxed night dives.
Bundaberg & Agnes Water · QLD
Queensland's best-known shore dive: a sheltered, shallow soft-coral reef with prolific nudibranchs, turtles and sea…
Port Douglas · QLD
Circling barracuda school over a coral pinnacle; excellent snorkelling on the shallow garden around it.
Double-sided bommie with a sea-fan wall on a deep channel, a sheltered clam garden, and a very friendly Maori wrasse.
Ningaloo – Coral Bay · WA
Coral gardens a few fin kicks from Coral Bay's main beach.
Lord Howe Island · NSW
Paddle to the lagoon's grassy island, climb for the view and snorkel around its shores.
Mornington Peninsula · VIC
Victoria's premier pier dive: sponge-covered pylons, 100+ nudibranch species, seahorses, four octopus species and…
Reliable turtle encounters plus pipefish and razorfish; can be linked with Wild West.
Kalbarri & Shark Bay · WA
Sheltered, fish-filled lagoon pools in a no-fishing protection area, minutes from Kalbarri town.
Coral terraces and walls on Hastings' southern side, with elephant-ear corals hiding shrimps.
A calm, shallow lagoon ringed by bommies, with giant clams and blacktip reef sharks – ideal for beginners and…
Whitsundays & Bowen · QLD
Sheltered, easy fringing reef on Hayman Island with friendly fish, recovering coral and the Ngaro trail Maori Wrasse…
Heron Island & Capricorn Group · QLD
Shallow gutters and a sheltered Olympic-pool-sized hollow with resting turtles, wobbegongs and patrolling whitetips.
A compact sanctuary-zone reef with passages, ledges and an underwater plaque trail, 100 m off the Hillarys Boat Harbour…
Wollongong & Kiama · NSW
Protected amphitheatre bay with sea dragons, pygmy pipehorses, cuttlefish and seasonal grey nurse sharks – a no-take…
Geographe Bay & Busselton · WA
A 1.8 km heritage jetty whose end is a forest of sponge- and coral-covered piles at 8 m, with an Underwater Observatory…
Thirteen WA artworks on the seabed at 8 m beside Busselton Jetty, visible to snorkellers and slowly becoming reef.
Seahorses in the kelp, squid hunting under torchlight and 1788 history on a sheltered beach inside South Head – the…
Port Phillip Heads · VIC
Purpose-built seal haul-out beside the South Channel where Australian fur seals sleep, spar and come out to investigate…
Ribbon Reefs & Lizard Island · QLD
Giant clams up to 2 m long in shallow water a short swim from the beach.
Sydney South & Botany Bay · NSW
Sydney's classic training and night-dive inlet with tame blue gropers and dense fish schools in 10–15 m visibility.
The easiest introduction to Lord Howe's fish – a coral-walled lagoon hole packed with endemics.
Tweed & Byron Bay · NSW
Turtle-rich aquatic reserve minutes from Tweed Heads/Coolangatta with multiple moorings so it can be dived in almost…
Year-round snorkelling with WA's largest manta population, located by spotter plane.
A 'macro dream world' of coral-covered bommies on sand, where rays queue at cleaning stations and fusiliers swirl…
A 30 m wall with swim-throughs and overhangs beside a shallow garden of staghorn and plate corals; a favourite…
A gentle, coral-carpeted slope on the Wistari Channel wall – Heron's pick for divers who just love coral.
Lady Elliot Island · QLD
Lady Elliot's prettiest shallow coral, with open archways and swim-throughs and schooling barracuda – an ideal first…
Cocos (Keeling) Islands · External Territory
Calm, shallow lagoon snorkelling off one of Australia's most celebrated beaches, right beside The Rip.
A short snorkel from Cottesloe Beach to the heritage-listed 1936 shark-net pylon and the reef at its base.
Rottnest Island · WA
The standing bow of an 1890 iron barque rising almost to the surface, a spread of cargo and plates, and a shallow cave…
Yorke Peninsula · SA
Arguably Australia's best jetty dive: 150-year-old piles smothered in sponge and ascidian growth hosting anglerfish,…
Norfolk Island · External Territory
Calm, sheltered lagoon snorkel over coral outcrops with Norfolk's endemic fish, in a World Heritage convict setting.
Coral-walled sanctuary pool in the lagoon – bluefish, doubleheaders and pygmy seahorses in almost any weather.
Turquoise Coast · WA
Snorkelling with endangered, playful Australian sea lions at the only major west coast breeding area.
A sheltered harbour wall with two small boat wrecks, soft corals and winter PJ sharks – Manly's all-weather training…
Sydney Northern Beaches · NSW
The dusky whaler side of Cabbage Tree Bay – a quiet, shallow wall-and-kelp reef along the Manly promenade that comes…
Engine, refrigeration piping and steel boxes of a 1965 tuna boat, overgrown with coral in shallow water.
A quiet bay with seagrass and shallow limestone caves and channels, 2 km from the settlement.
An enclosed 5 m coral bowl packed with reef fish, giant clams, a friendly Maori wrasse and early-morning bumphead…
The only easy walk-in reef shore dive near Cairns, beside a resort, dive shop and turtle rehabilitation centre.
The weedy seadragon capital of the world – dozens of residents in seagrass at 3–4 m under a heritage pier, plus…
Brisbane & Moreton Bay · QLD
Highest coral diversity of any subtropical reef on the east coast and Brisbane's best-known dive; the turtle cleaning…
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