Last Updated on April 29, 2024 by Sam
Some of the best snorkelling spots in Western Australia just so happen to be accessible from Perth itself. The city’s coastline is home to an abundance of marine life and reefs, making for some great snorkelling opportunities. Before our visit we didn’t realise just how good the snorkelling in Perth is, but we were pleasantly surprised. The sealife is amazing around spots like Rottnest Island and the Omeo Wreck, and the great visibility reminded us of snorkelling in Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. This guide covers the best places to snorkel in Perth, including some recommendations of the best snorkelling tours in the city!
If you’re looking for more great places to snorkel in Australia then of course the Great Barrier Reef is one of the best spots to visit. Check out our 3 day Cairns itinerary for a perfect getaway including a day trip snorkelling or diving the world-famous reef!
Best Snorkelling Places in Perth
Omeo Wreck
One of the top snorkelling spots in Perth is the Omeo Wreck, found just offshore from Coogee Beach. The Omeo was a steamship that sank in 1905, and its wreckage has become a thriving marine habitat.
Located around 25 metres from the shore, this shipwreck is a great place to snorkel thanks to the variety of marine life found around the wreck. There is an underwater snorkelling trail known as the Coogee Maritime Trail, which is one of the best places to snorkel in Perth and is home to a variety of colourful fish and other marine life.
The snorkel starts from the Omeo Wreck and leads you further out to sea whilst passing underwater sculptures and artificial reef. It’s relatively shallow, with the majority of the trail between 2.5 and 5 metres deep – with a maximum depth of 7 metres.
Some of the most common seen fish at the Omeo Wreck and Coogee Maritime Trail include Old Wife, Western Smooth Boxfish, Shaw’s Cowfish, Australian Herring, and Finger Dragonet. If you’re lucky on your visit then it’s also possible to see species such as octopuses, manta rays, seahorses, lionfish, Port Jackson sharks, and much more!
Snorkelling at the wreck is one of the most unique things to do in Perth, and it’s great fun to explore and discover the variety of marine life in the area. On our visit we saw a huge crab, a puffer fish, and several schools of fish around the wreck.
This wonderful snorkelling spot is around a 30-minute drive from Perth CBD, and is accessible via the city’s public transport. There is free parking near the beachfront, and then simply go down the steps to the beach and swim out to the wreck (which can be seen rising out of the water).
Click here for more information on the Coogee Maritime Trail!
Snorkelling with Dolphins
For a truly unforgettable experience while snorkelling in Perth, head down to Rockingham to swim with wild dolphins. Rockingham is just a 45-minute drive south of Perth CBD, and the area’s waters are home to over 200 dolphins – giving you a unique opportunity to see these majestic creatures up close in the wild.
The best way to experience snorkelling with dolphins in Rockingham, Perth, is to book a tour through Get Your Guide. These tours offer a custom-built boat to make accessing the water easy and the experienced crew will help ensure an amazing trip – even offering introductory snorkelling lessons so that first-time snorkellers can join in the fun!
Once you’ve found where the dolphins are, it’s time to get in the water to enjoy the incredible experience of seeing these beautiful creatures up close. The dolphins are completely wild, so the crew don’t feed them and they don’t do tricks – but they are still very inquisitive and playful. It’s an amazing way to interact with the dolphins in their natural habitat.
These wonderful tours last up to 6 hours depending on sightings on the day of your trip, with the tour operator seeing dolphins on over 99% of trips – so you’re VERY likely to swim with dolphins if you book this tour. The tour also includes a gourmet lunch platter, as well as complimentary photos of the trip – so you can remember this amazing encounter for years to come.
This unique trip is undeniably one of the best options for snorkelling in Perth, with tours starting from $299 AUD per person through Get Your Guide. Tours often sell out too – so make sure to book your trip now to ensure you don’t miss out!
Click here to book a once in a lifetime trip to snorkel with dolphins through Get Your Guide!
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is one of the best places to snorkel in both Perth and Western Australia, and it’s just a short ferry ride from the city. The island boasts 63 beaches and 20 bays packed with an abundance of marine life, making it a paradise for snorkellers and divers alike.
A day trip to Rottnest is one of the best things to do in Perth, with the island being a popular tourist spot thanks to its population of around 10,000 quokkas. These cute marsupials are extremely friendly and inquisitive, and are almost exclusively found on the island – aside from some very small populations on mainland Australia.
The quokkas alone are worth a trip to Rottnest, but what some visitors don’t realise is that the island is home to some of the best snorkelling in Perth. We spent most of our day trip here snorkelling at various spots around the island, and we both loved discovering the island’s beautiful underwater world.
One of the best snorkelling spots on Rottnest Island is Little Salmon Bay – a sheltered bay with calm waters and a beautiful sandy beach. There is a designated snorkel trail at Little Salmon Bay, which stretches for around 700 metres and leads past interesting coral, seagrass, and limestone rocks.
The visibility here tends to be very good, and you can see some wonderful species including octopuses and lobsters. There are plenty of interesting fish around too, as well as several underwater plaques with information about the area’s plants and sea life.
Another brilliant snorkelling spot on Rottnest is The Basin, which is around a 15 minute walk from the island’s ferry terminal. The Basin is teeming with schools of fish, in some instances up to thousands all grouped together.
One of our best experiences snorkelling on Rottnest Island came at Parker Point. If you swim out far enough from the beach there is some amazing coral to discover, and we even saw some dolphins whilst we were in the water. Unfortunately we were slightly too far away to see them underwater, but we could see them jumping out very close to us – which was an amazing experience!
There are several other great snorkelling spots on Rottnest too, but if you’re just visiting on a day trip then it’s hard to fit everything in. Other snorkel spots worth visiting if you have time include Henrietta Rocks, which is home to a shipwreck, and Little Parakeet Bay, a secluded spot with some nice snorkelling.
Find out more about the island’s wonderful snorkelling spots with our guide to the best places to snorkel at Rottnest Island!
Getting to Rottnest Island
To visit these incredible snorkelling spots you will need to take a ferry from Perth to Rottnest Island. Ferries depart from Fremantle and can be booked online in advance through Get Your Guide. The best option is to book a ferry with a snorkel and bike hire, as that way you can bike around the island to get to the different snorkelling spots.
Click here to book a ferry to Rottnest Island with snorkel and bike hire through Get Your Guide!
Alternatively, there is the option to just book the ferry if you have your own snorkel. Click here to book ferry tickets to Rottnest Island on the Get Your Guide website!
For more information, make sure to check out our detailed guide on how to get to Rottnest Island!
Yanchep Lagoon
Yanchep Lagoon is another of the best snorkelling spots in Perth, around 60 kilometres north of the CBD.
Located around 50 metres from shore, the reef is accessible by swimming out from Yanchep Beach. Visibility normally ranges from around 10 metres to 30 metres, which is partly why it’s considered one of the best places to snorkel in Perth.
There is a great variety of marine life to discover at Yanchep Lagoon, including the endemic Western blue devil, cuttlefish, octopuses, and much more!
Yanchep Lagoon is generally one of the safest spots to go snorkelling in Perth, with an average depth of around 5 metres and a maximum of 7 metres. The reef shelters the beach from large predators such as sharks, but there can be some strong rip currents so make sure to be careful and be aware of what to do if you are caught in a rip (swim parallel to shore, not directly against the current).
There is plenty of free parking near Yanchep Beach, which makes it easy to visit the lagoon for a snorkelling trip. It’s best to visit during low tide if possible, and ideally earlier in the day before the sea breeze hits as this will reduce the likelihood of rip currents.
Whilst you’re in the area, it’s also worth visiting the lovely Yanchep National Park, which is home to some great walking and hiking trails. The park boasts an array of wildlife including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, and more.
Shoalwater Islands Marine Park
The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is one of the best places to go snorkelling in Perth, offering the chance to see some wonderful species including dolphins and sea lions. There are a number of great snorkelling spots here including at Penguin Island, Seal Island, Bird Island, and Point Peron.
As the best snorkelling spots here are around the islands, it’s best to book a tour so that you can access these spots. Tours take you out by boat and include snorkelling stops at Penguin Island, Seal Island, and Bird Island – giving you the chance to see a range of marine life at each spot.
The marine park is home to stunning clear water, which makes it ideal for snorkelling. As you explore the different spots expect to see a range of different species, and with some luck you might even get to see a dolphin or sea lion whilst you’re snorkelling – which is a truly unforgettable experience!
Snorkelling tours can easily be booked through Get Your Guide, and are the best way to discover this wonderful marine park. Tours cost just $150 AUD per person, and include snorkel equipment, wetsuits, photos, a food platter, and more!
Tips for snorkelling in Perth
Visit in the morning – Wherever you’re planning to snorkel in Perth, it’s generally best to go earlier in the day. By mid-afternoon the sea breeze hits and can make the waters choppier, which in turn affects the visibility. If possible try and snorkel in the morning for the best conditions.
Buy a snorkel – If you don’t already own a snorkel, we suggest buying one from a sports store or a shop like Kmart. It’s not possible to rent a snorkel at all the spots on this list, so you will need to have your own. That being said, if you’re booking onto one of the snorkelling tours in Perth then snorkels and other gear will be provided – so you won’t need to buy a snorkel if you’re just planning to take one of these trips.
Rent a car – Most of the best snorkelling spots in Perth are a fair distance from the CBD, so they’re much easier to reach if you have a car. We recommend renting a car for a day or two, as that way you can reach the best spots more easily and see the wonderful marine life that Perth has to offer. Click here to get a car rental quote in seconds on the Discover Cars website!
A sometimes cheaper alternative to renting a car is to use Uber Car Share, which allows you to rent someone else’s car when they’re not using it. It’s possible to rent cars for just a few hours, or longer if you wish, which is extremely convenient for getting to the spots on this list.
Sun cream – Make sure to put on sun cream before you go snorkelling, and take breaks to regularly top up. The sun can be very strong in Australia, so it’s best to keep your skin protected to avoid sunburn.
Looking for more inspiration to decide where to visit next in Australia? Check out the best things to do in Esperance and where to stay in Esperance!
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