Stokes Bay is one of Kangaroo Island's favourite beaches, and its rock pool is the most family-friendly snorkel on the island. From the car park you walk through a narrow tunnel between enormous boulders to emerge on a sandy beach where a natural reef wall encloses a large, calm pool. Tourism Kangaroo Island describes easy access to a sheltered rock pool with fish, sponges, crabs, seahorses, reefs and rays – a perfect introduction to snorkelling for children and adults.

Inside the pool the water is shallow and clear on sunny days, with seagrass, weed-covered rocks and sand patches. Seahorses hide in the weed, crabs scuttle among the rocks, small reef fish and juvenile wrasse dart around, and rays rest on the sand. Outside the reef wall, the open bay has rocky reef that divers can explore in calm, southerly conditions, with larger fish, sponges and the chance of seadragons.

Stokes Bay is also practical: the café and facilities make it a comfortable base, and the beach ramp is the most useful launching point for boat trips to the remote north-west sites such as the Portland Maru, Snug Cove and Cape Torrens. Wikivoyage lists Stokes Bay among Kangaroo Island's dive sites. The pool suits families, snorkellers and beginners; the outer reef suits Open Water divers on calm days. The café is seasonal, so check opening days outside summer. The tunnel walk is short but uneven, and snorkellers should wear booties for the rocks around the pool. On busy summer days arrive early, as the pool is popular with families.

From Kingscote drive west on the Playford Highway and North Coast Road to Stokes Bay (about 50 km, 45-50 minutes; sealed to the turn-off). Park at the Stokes Bay car park beside the café, then walk through the narrow tunnel between huge boulders to the beach and rock pool – a short, easy walk. Divers can enter the outer reef from the beach in calm conditions.

Small boats launch from the beach ramp for trips to the north-west coast.

Kangaroo Island's north coast faces Investigator Strait and is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly Southern Ocean swell, so it is the island's most reliable diving coast. It is exposed to northerly and north-westerly winds and swell, which bring surge, poor visibility and dangerous entries – dive on southerly to south-easterly winds or after a few days of southerlies. Summer and autumn have the most settled weather; winter fronts bring north-westerlies before they pass.

Visibility is often 10-20 m in good conditions. Mornings are calmer before sea breezes. The rock pool is sheltered by a natural reef wall and is safe in most conditions except large northerly swells, which can wash over the reef.

Snorkel the rock pool for seahorses and small fish; on calm days, dive the reef outside the pool from the beach in 3-10 m, following the reef edge and returning to the same entry.

No regular operator; Kangaroo Island Dive & Adventures (Kingscote) – guided north-coast boat and shore dives (confirm current trading) can advise.