Peaceful Bay is a small holiday settlement of a few hundred cottages 33 km east of Walpole, set in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park and named for its sheltered bay. The Walpole visitor centre describes the bay as ideal for swimming, fishing, boating and diving – rare on a coastline otherwise dominated by high-energy surf beaches and cliffs.

There is little published detail about specific dive sites. The bay is protected by a reef and headland, and snorkellers and divers explore the inner edge of this reef and the rocks at the ends of the beach in shallow water. Expect south coast temperate habitat: limestone and granite rock with kelp and sargassum, sponges and encrusting algae, sand patches with seagrass, and fish such as herring, sweep, old wives, wrasse, scalyfin, leatherjackets and King George whiting, with stingrays, cuttlefish and octopus.

Peaceful Bay suits families and snorkellers and independent divers staying locally. It is remote from dive services – air fills are in Albany – and has no dive operator. Nearby, Mandalay Beach, 12 km west of Walpole, is the site of the 1911 wreck of the Norwegian barque Mandalay, whose hull is periodically exposed on the beach after storms, and the forests of the Valley of the Giants and the Tree Top Walk are a short drive away. Bring all dive gear and full tanks, and check local advice at the store about which parts of the bay are calmest on the day.

From Walpole drive east on the South Coast Highway for about 20 km and turn south onto Peaceful Bay Road, following it about 13 km to the settlement (total 33 km, 30 minutes; from Denmark about 45 km west). Park at the foreshore near the shop and beach. Enter from the sand and swim out to the reef that shelters the bay.

Small boats launch from the beach. 4WD tracks give access to more rugged coast in Walpole-Nornalup National Park.

Peaceful Bay is protected from the Southern Ocean swell by a reef and headland, which makes it one of the few calm-water bays on this coast. Large south-westerly swells still break on the outer reef and can create currents in the gaps; strong southerly and south-easterly winds make the water choppy. Calm summer mornings are best.

Enter from the beach and snorkel or dive toward the sheltering reef, exploring its inner edge at 3-6 m. Stay inside the reef and away from breaking water.

No operator – independent snorkelling and diving. Nearest dive shop is South Coast Diving Supplies (Albany, about 120 km).