Snorkelling Perth puts you over limestone reef, seagrass meadows and schools of silver sweep in water that hits 23°C by January. Gear hire starts from around AUD $20 a day. Guided tours run from around AUD $65 per adult. The five spots below are all shore-based, all accessible without a boat, and ranked from easiest to most rewarding. Book a tour or grab hire gear this week.
- Water temperature: 21°C to 23°C (December to March)
- Gear hire: from AUD $20 per day at most Hillarys and Sorrento outlets
- Guided snorkel tours: from AUD $65 to AUD $120 per adult (as of 2025)
- Marmion Marine Park: over 600 fish species recorded within the park boundary
- Best visibility window: high tide, light-wind mornings between October and March
The 5 Best Snorkelling Spots in Perth Right Now
Each of these sites is accessible by car and most by public transport. Conditions vary, so always assess on the day.
1. Mettams Pool, Trigg
Mettams Pool is the top pick for beginners and families. A natural limestone bowl shelters the water from swell. Depth inside the pool sits at 1 to 3 metres. You will find blue-throated wrasse, leatherjackets, and the occasional octopus tucked under ledges. Entry is a sandy beach walk, but the reef edge drops away sharply, so keep children away from the western wall.
Getting to Mettams Pool
Park on West Coast Drive, Trigg. Transperth Bus Route 423 stops within 400 metres. Arrive before 9 am in summer. The car park fills fast on weekends.
2. Coogee Beach Reef, Coogee
The artificial reef at Coogee sits 150 metres offshore in 6 to 10 metres of water. It holds lionfish, wobbegong sharks, and dense schools of pike. A surface marker buoy (SMB) is useful here even for snorkellers, as recreational boat traffic is active on weekends. Entry from the main beach is straightforward over sand. Conditions vary, so always assess on the day.
3. Marmion Marine Park, North Beach to Hillarys
Marmion Marine Park covers 100 square kilometres of the Perth metropolitan coastline. The limestone reef system runs from Trigg north to Hillarys. Snorkellers access it from several beach entries including North Beach, Sorrento Beach, and the protected waters inside Hillarys Boat Harbour. Current inside the harbour is minimal. Outside the harbour wall, a southward drift can develop on outgoing tides. Stay inside the harbour if you are new to ocean snorkelling.
4. Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, Rockingham
Shoalwater sits 40 kilometres south of Perth CBD. The ferry to Penguin Island departs from Mersey Point Jetty at Rockingham. The crossing takes 5 minutes. Snorkelling off the western side of Penguin Island gives you access to the park's sea lion colony and dense seagrass beds. Sea lions approach snorkellers, but the EPBC Act 1999 requires you to maintain a 10-metre approach distance from wildlife. Do not attempt to touch or redirect them.
5. Parker Point, Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is a 90-minute ferry from Fremantle. Parker Point is consistently rated the best shore snorkel on the island. The reef drops from 1 metre to around 6 metres over 50 metres of swim. You will see baldchin groper, western blue groper, and spotted eagle rays patrolling the sandy bottom. Rottnest Island Authority rangers patrol the area. The EPBC Act 1999 prohibits taking or disturbing any marine organism within the park.
Perth Snorkelling Conditions: When to Go and When to Stay Out
Perth's snorkelling season runs October to March. December to February gives the warmest water and the calmest Indian Ocean swells.
| Season | Water Temp | Avg Visibility | Swell | Wind | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec to Feb | 21°C to 23°C | 6 to 12 m | Low (0.5 to 1 m) | Sea breeze 15 to 25 kt (afternoon) | Best window |
| Mar to May | 20°C to 22°C | 5 to 10 m | Low to moderate | Easing sea breezes | Good |
| Jun to Aug | 17°C to 19°C | 8 to 15 m | High (1.5 to 3 m) | Strong southerlies | Poor for most sites |
| Sep to Nov | 18°C to 21°C | 5 to 10 m | Moderate, easing | Variable | Improving |
Tides and Visibility
Perth tidal range is small, typically 0.3 to 0.8 metres. Even so, incoming high tide noticeably flushes cleaner ocean water over the limestone reefs. Plan your entry for 1 to 2 hours before high tide. After heavy rain, runoff from suburban drains drops visibility at sites like Mettams Pool to 2 to 3 metres. Check the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Perth tide tables before you go.
Wind Rules
Perth's afternoon Fremantle Doctor sea breeze kicks in most summer days between noon and 2 pm. It builds chop quickly. Snorkel in the morning. If the BOM forecast shows northerly winds above 20 knots, conditions at exposed sites like Parker Point deteriorate fast.
Honest Safety Briefing for Perth Snorkellers
Perth's Indian Ocean is not a pool. These are the risks worth knowing.
Currents
Longshore drift pushes snorkellers northward along the Marmion Marine Park limestone wall on incoming tides. Enter at a point where you can swim back against a mild current if needed. If you feel yourself tiring, signal the shore and float on your back.
Marine Life Hazards
Blue-ringed octopus are present in shallow reef crevices across all Perth sites. Do not handle them under any circumstances. Their venom causes paralysis. Western Australian stonefish and cone shells are present in sandy substrate. Do not touch or stand on reef. Stingrays rest under sand at sites like Shoalwater. Shuffle your feet in shallow water. For any suspected envenomation, call 000 immediately and contact Divers Alert Network at diversalertnetwork.org for specialist advice.
Flags and Swim Zones
Surf Life Saving WA patrols most metropolitan beaches. Always snorkel between the red and yellow flags where a patrol is present. Snorkelling outside flagged areas places you outside patrol coverage. Check Surf Life Saving WA's BeachSafe app before you arrive.
Entry and Exit
Rocky reef entries at Mettams Pool and North Beach require reef shoes or wetsuit boots. The limestone is sharp and becomes slippery with algae in autumn. Conditions vary, so always assess on the day before committing to an entry point.
Gear Hire and Guided Tour Costs in Perth
You can rent a basic mask, snorkel, and fin set from hire shops near Hillarys Boat Harbour and Rockingham for around AUD $20 to AUD $35 per day (as of 2025). A wetsuit hire adds around AUD $15 to AUD $25 per day. If you plan to snorkel more than twice a year, buying an entry-level set (AUD $50 to AUD $120) makes better financial sense than repeated hire.
Guided Tours Worth Booking
Guided snorkel tours at Shoalwater Islands and Rottnest Island typically run AUD $65 to AUD $120 per adult, including return ferry and equipment hire (as of 2025). Family packages with children under 12 typically run AUD $40 to AUD $60 per child. Booking through PADI Travel gives you verified operator vetting for ocean-based tours. Visit travel.padi.com to compare Perth-area snorkel tour operators and book directly.
What You Will Actually See Underwater in Perth
The Marmion Marine Park and Shoalwater Islands system together shelter over 600 recorded fish species, according to the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA, 2023). Common snorkel-depth sightings include:
- Western blue groper (bright blue, up to 70 cm, inquisitive around divers)
- Blue-throated wrasse and senator wrasse over reef at 2 to 5 metres
- Western blue devil fish at Rottnest and Shoalwater
- Spotted eagle rays on sandy flats at Shoalwater and Coogee
- Common octopus and blue-ringed octopus in limestone crevices (do not touch)
- Schools of silver sweep and yellowtail scad over the Marmion reef line
Seagrass meadows at Shoalwater support a resident dugong population. Sightings are infrequent but real. The EPBC Act 1999 requires a minimum 100-metre approach distance for dugong.