Sites where a certified diver, a snorkeller and a nervous first-timer can all get in at the same beach: shallow, sheltered, easy entry, plenty to see in the top five metres, and usually a car park, toilets and a café nearby.
Updated daily from the directory. 16 sites listed.
1. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Tinderbox Marine Reserve
Hobart's shore-dive reserve with an underwater snorkel trail, weedy seadragons and easy access.
2. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Fortescue Bay
Easy shore access to one of the last giant kelp forests on the Tasman Peninsula, with camping on the beach.
3. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Blackmans Bay
Two easy shore dives in one suburban bay – crevice-rich reef at the blowhole and a giant kelp patch at the south point.
4. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Eaglehawk Neck Jetty (Pirates Bay)
Easy shore and night dive at the departure jetty with a good chance of weedy seadragons.
5. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Waubs Bay
Bicheno's easiest shore dive: rays on the sand edge, big seahorses in the kelp and a split bommie at 15 m.
6. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Rocky Cape
An easy, sheltered course site with a fish-packed rock and superb night diving.
7. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Boat Harbour Point
Easy, varied shore dives either side of the point at one of Tasmania's prettiest beaches.
8. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Mersey Bluff (Devonport)
Devonport's easy shore dive below the Mersey Bluff lighthouse - ideal before or after the Spirit of Tasmania.
9. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Adventure Bay (Bruny Island)
Historic bay (Cook, Bligh) with sheltered shore dives and boat access to Fluted Cape, Penguin Island and Cape Connella.
10. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Fish Rock (Bicheno)
A split granite spire a short swim from the breakwater, with seahorses and seadragons in the surrounding weed and excellent night diving.
11. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Don Heads
An easy long shore dive along volcanic reefs beside the historic Don River port.
12. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
William Pitt Wreck (Canoe Bay)
Shallow scuttled 1904 dredge breaking the surface in a sheltered bay – a classic snorkel wreck.
13. Tasmania North & North-West · TAS
Devonport Breakwater
A shallow breakwater snorkel with a kelp forest and remains of two 1880s wrecks.
14. Tasmania North-East · TAS
Eddystone Boat Ramp
A sheltered, very shallow kelp cove - the easy option at remote Eddystone Point.
15. Tasmania East Coast · TAS
Darlington Jetty (Maria Island)
The easiest snorkel on Maria Island, straight off the ferry, with cuttlefish and squid at dusk.
16. Flinders Island & Furneaux Group · TAS
Trousers Point (Flinders Island)
A rare limestone reef with swim-throughs beneath the Strzelecki Peaks.
Frequently asked questions
Where can non-divers join in?
Any site marked snorkel-friendly. Cabbage Tree Bay at Manly, Port Noarlunga, the Mornington piers, Tangalooma, Lady Elliot's lagoon and Tinderbox are among the easiest.
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