Back Beach is Bunbury's main ocean beach, facing west into the Indian Ocean along Ocean Drive. Tourism Western Australia describes it as one of the most popular beaches in the Bunbury region, used for swimming, snorkelling, surfing and beach fishing, with picnic areas and barbecues. A regional holiday guide describes rugged coastline and rocky outcrops, with colourful fish, octopus and crustaceans, and advises that it is for experienced snorkellers comfortable with ocean currents.

Unlike the sheltered sites in Geographe Bay, Back Beach takes the swell directly, so it is often surfable and unsuitable for diving. On calm mornings, however, the rocky outcrops close to shore make a pleasant snorkel or shallow shore dive, with reef fish, crabs and octopus among the rocks and weed. Bunbury's coastline includes distinctive dark volcanic basalt, which gives the rocky sections a different look from the limestone reefs further north.

This is a local's site rather than a destination: visibility is variable and conditions must be chosen carefully. It suits experienced snorkellers and shore divers who can read surf and rips, and who want a quick dip close to town. For reliable diving, Bunbury divers head offshore to the Lena and the coral reefs, or to Koombana Bay on the sheltered side of the peninsula.

By contrast, nearby Geographe Bay is unusual on the WA coast because it faces north, so the prevailing south-westerly swell and sea breeze that close the ocean coast are largely blocked by Cape Naturaliste. That shelter, plus the warm Leeuwin Current, is what makes the bay's reefs, jetties and wrecks diveable for much of the year, and why winter north-westerly storms are the main thing that shuts it down.

Back Beach runs along Ocean Drive on the western side of central Bunbury, a few minutes' drive from the town centre. Park in the foreshore car parks along Ocean Drive and walk over to the sand. Enter near the rocky outcrops only in calm conditions; this is an open ocean beach.

Bunbury has a local dive shop (Coastal Water Dive) for fills and hire.

An exposed ocean beach facing the Indian Ocean: rideable surf is common and westerly or south-westerly swell and sea breezes make it unsafe for snorkelling. Only dive on flat days with easterly (offshore) winds, typically summer mornings. Rips can form near rocks.

General pattern in Geographe Bay: sheltered from south-westerly swell by Cape Naturaliste; summer mornings are calm before the afternoon sea breeze, while winter north-westerly fronts roll swell and chop into the bay and reduce visibility for several days.

Enter beside the rocks on a flat morning, snorkel or dive the outcrops in 2-5 m, keep close to shore and exit at the same point before the sea breeze arrives. Agree a turn pressure before descending (half gas, or a third where current is likely), carry a DSMB, and make a 3-minute safety stop at 5 m.

No operator - occasional self-guided snorkel or shore dive by locals; Bunbury dive shops can advise on conditions. Nearest dive services: Octopus Garden Dive Charters and Coastal Water Dive in Bunbury; Swan Dive in Busselton.