Scuba World lists Noosa National Park among the Sunshine Coast's four rocky-headland snorkelling spots, alongside Point Cartwright, Point Arkwright and Kings Beach, while warning that sandy beaches dominate the coast and that headland sites are dangerous in swell or wind. The park's north-facing coastline, running east from Noosa Main Beach past Little Cove, Tea Tree Bay and Granite Bay, is the most accessible stretch: a series of small sandy bays between rocky points, reached on foot along the Coastal Track.

The attraction is the rocky shoreline itself. Boulders and rock platforms extend into the water, supporting algae, small soft corals and sponges, with subtropical reef fish, crabs and occasionally turtles. Laguna Bay's shelter from the south-east means the water is often calm here when other headlands are rough. There is no published dive guide for specific entry points, and the gear carry along the track makes full scuba impractical, so this is best treated as a snorkelling site or a very light shore dive.

This coast is also one of Australia's best-known point breaks, so surfers use the same water. On any day with swell the rocks are hazardous; on flat days, a snorkel here combines well with a walk through the national park, where koalas are often seen in the trees above Tea Tree Bay.

Wear booties for the rocks, carry fins on the walk, and always check the surf from the track before committing to an entry.

Park at the Noosa National Park headland car park at the end of Park Road, Noosa Heads (limited spaces – arrive early or walk from Hastings Street along the boardwalk, about 1 km). Follow the Coastal Track east; Tea Tree Bay is about 1 km from the car park and Granite Bay about 2.5 km, on a well-formed track with some steps. Gear must be carried the whole way, so this is realistically a snorkel or light shore-dive site.

Enter from the sand in the small bays.

The national park's northern coast faces into Laguna Bay and is sheltered from the south-east trade winds, but it is a famous surf break: any north-easterly or easterly swell wrapping around the headland brings waves onto the rocks and makes entry and exit dangerous. Scuba World warns that the rocky headland sites are dangerous in swell or wind. Choose a flat day with small swell, ideally winter.

Visibility drops after rain and on the ebb tide when the Noosa River plume spreads along the shore.

Enter from the sand in a small bay, snorkel or fin along the rocky edge at 2-5 m, and return the same way well before tiring. Keep clear of surfers and the surf zone.

No operator – independent snorkel/shore dive. Hire gear in Noosa or from SubSurface Scuba.