Boltons Beach is a family-friendly snorkel south of Swansea, rated 5 out of 10 by the Marine Life Network guide. Granite rocks with kelp in 2-4 m shelter crayfish and abalone, and the fish list includes wrasse, leatherjackets, barber perch, whiting and garfish.

The 800 m walk from the car park keeps it quiet, and the view across Great Oyster Bay to the Hazards of Freycinet is outstanding. It is best treated as a snorkel rather than a scuba dive, although a short, shallow scuba dive is possible for those willing to carry gear. Families can combine it with the beach, which is usually quiet even in summer.

The western shore of Great Oyster Bay around Swansea is a quiet stretch of coast known more for beaches, vineyards and the convict-built Spiky Bridge than for diving. Water inside the bay is often calmer but less clear than on the ocean coast, and several good sites are reached across private farmland, so local permission is part of the planning.

Practical points apply to all of these shore sites. There is no dive shop, air station or hire between Hobart and Bicheno, so divers bring filled cylinders and all equipment. Mobile coverage is generally good along the highway but patchy at the water's edge, and the nearest hyperbaric chamber is the Royal Hobart Hospital, one to two hours' drive away, so conservative profiles and oxygen in the car are sensible. Water temperatures range from about 11 °C in winter to 17-18 °C in late summer, so a 7 mm wetsuit with hood or a drysuit is standard year-round.

Boltons Beach is off the Tasman Highway south of Swansea (about 2 hr from Hobart). The Marine Life Network guide describes an 800 m walk from the car park to the rocks, which is fine with snorkel gear but hard work with scuba. Enter from the beach beside the granite rocks.

From Hobart the route is the Tasman Highway (A3) via Sorell and Buckland; allow extra time on weekends when the road is busy with holiday traffic. Kit up at the car and check the entry and exit before committing, since the rocks are slippery at low tide.

Boltons Beach faces east into Great Oyster Bay, sheltered from ocean swell by the Freycinet Peninsula but exposed to north-easterly sea breezes and southerly chop. Best on calm mornings or westerly days. Visibility is reduced after heavy rain.

Mornings are usually calmest in summer, before the north-easterly sea breeze builds, and a day or two of westerly weather gives the clearest water. Visibility of 5-10 m is normal.

Snorkel along the granite rocks and kelp at 2-4 m, then out over the sand for whiting and garfish. Turn at a third of gas to allow for the swim back and a possibly harder exit, finish with a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m if the depth allows, and exit where you entered unless an alternative exit has been checked beforehand.

No regular operator. Shore dives used by Hobart clubs (Tasmanian Scuba Diving Club, Tas Uni Dive Club) and self-sufficient divers; Hobart shops occasionally run east-coast weekends.