Turquoise Bay is the best-known snorkel on Ningaloo and one of the most famous in Australia. Its reputation comes from the 'drift': the south-to-north current along the beach, driven by water pouring over the reef crest and escaping through gaps, which carries snorkellers effortlessly over a strip of coral bommies close to shore. Entry is from the sand, the reef starts about 50 m out, and depths are only a few metres, so the whole reef is visible from the surface.

The bay lies within a sanctuary zone, and the protection shows in the fish. Snorkellers regularly see blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, turtles (especially over the weedier patches), blue-spotted rays, octopus, moray eels, parrotfish, triggerfish, groper and schools of reef fish, with the coral bommies providing shelter and colour. It is a simple, rewarding snorkel for confident swimmers and the default first stop for most visitors to Cape Range.

The current is the attraction and the danger. DBCA warns that currents can be strong, especially around the sandbar at the southern point of the bay loop and at the northern end of the drift, where water escapes through the reef. Large swell and high tides intensify the flow, and snorkellers who miss their exit can be carried out through the gap towards the outer reef. Park rangers do not patrol the beaches. Assess the water from shore, never snorkel alone, and if in doubt snorkel the calmer main bay instead.

The 2025 marine heatwave affected coral in the Cape Range lagoon, but fish, turtles and sharks remain the draw.

From Exmouth drive north around the Cape and south along Yardie Creek Road into Cape Range National Park (pay the park fee at the entry station), about 60 km and 45–50 minutes on a sealed road. Take the Turquoise Bay turn-off and use the separate Drift Loop car park (left fork). Walk about 100–200 m south along the beach, enter at the southern end, swim out about 50 m to the reef and let the south-to-north current carry you along.

Exit onto the beach well before the sandbar at the northern end of the drift, walk back and repeat.

Cape Range lagoon sites are protected by the reef crest, but a south-westerly swell pumps water over the reef and out through the gaps, strengthening currents in the lagoon, particularly on a high tide and big swell. The afternoon south to south-westerly sea breeze (often 15–25 knots from spring to autumn) makes the water choppy and reduces visibility, so mornings are best. Summer air temperatures exceed 40 °C; cyclone season is November–April.

Irukandji and other stinging jellyfish occur mainly in the warmer months and autumn. Visibility in the lagoon is usually 5–15 m.

Snorkel only for most visitors; scuba is rarely used here. Enter at the southern end, swim 50 m out to the reef, float with the current over the coral bommies for 10–20 minutes, then swim diagonally back towards the beach and exit well before the sandbar and the gap in the reef at the northern end. Walk back along the beach to repeat.

Independent shore snorkel; no operator needed. Exmouth dive shops hire snorkel gear and some tour companies include lagoon snorkels on Cape Range day trips.