Where to go snorkelling in Sydney
By Ninja Shark’s founder (and water enthusiast), Andrew Porter
While the Great Barrier Reef offers some of the most stunning snorkeling opportunities in Australia (as well as the world in general), there’s still plenty of marine life to discover in Sydney. Famous for its numerous beautiful beaches, what’s less spoken about is the numerous snorkeling sites in the city.
All snorkeling spots in Sydney are accessible from the beach, free, and not too far off the beaten track. It’s a prime snorkeling destination for locals and travellers, beginners and pro snorkelers combined! Here are the best places to go snorkelling in Sydney’s beautiful beaches.
Fish in Sydney:
- Amberjacks, Australian Bass, Bass Gropers, Black Breams, Blue Gropers, Bonitos, Carp, Cuttlefish, Dolphin Fish, Eastern Reef Scorpionfish, Eels, Flathead, Golden Perch, Hairtails, Leatherjackets, Mangrove Jacks, Marlins, Octopus, Sailfish, Wobbegongs, and more.
Best places to snorkel in Sydney
1. Bare Island
Where: La Perouse
Details: One of Sydney’s calmest snorkeling sites, Bare Island is a popular snorkeling and diving destination that’s just off the coast of La Perouse. Most of the snorkeling here happens around a huge fortress where there are plenty of rock platforms and marine life to discover. There’ll be puffer fish, sponge crabs, seahorses, red Indian fish, and more, all amongst beds of seagrass and other soft coral life.
Information:
- Bare Island was featured in the film Mission Impossible II. How’s that for a famous snorkelling spot?
Facilities:
- Bathrooms and drinking water available on-site.
2. The Basin
Where: Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Details: This beautiful spot is immersed in nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. A popular beach camping and water sports site, The Basin is an estuary filled with seagrass beds, rocks, sand, mud flats, and a wonderful opportunity to swim with Cuttlefish, Stingarees, Sea Stars, Leather Jackets, Rays, and even tropical fish in the warmer months!
Information:
- Snorkeling is accessed from The Basin campground,
- You can rent snorkeling equipment from EcoTreasures, a snorkeling tour company in The Basin campground.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, BBQs, and drinking water available on-site.
2. The Basin
Where: Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Details: This beautiful spot is immersed in nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. A popular beach camping and water sports site, The Basin is an estuary filled with seagrass beds, rocks, sand, mud flats, and a wonderful opportunity to swim with Cuttlefish, Stingarees, Sea Stars, Leather Jackets, Rays, and even tropical fish in the warmer months!
Information:
- Snorkeling is accessed from The Basin campground,
- You can rent snorkeling equipment from EcoTreasures, a snorkeling tour company in The Basin campground.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, BBQs, and drinking water available on-site.
3. Cabbage Tree Bay
Where: South Manly Beach to north Shelly Beach
Details: This aquatic reserve is where you’ll find some of Sydney’s healthiest sea life and best snorkeling. There’s an abundance of diversity in the marine life here with over 400 species of sea life to explore. Protected from swells and winds, Cabbage Tree Bay is one of Sydney’s calmest snorkeling spots, making it a great place for beginners and kids. You’ll be swimming amongst goatfish, old wives, blue groupers, wobbegongs, flounder, stingrays, and more.
Information:
- In cooler weather you’ll find whaler sharks hanging around the fairy bower – worth it for those swims in the cooler months!
Shelly Beach is Sydney’s only west-facing beach, making it a prime spot for watching the sunset after a long day snorkeling.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, picnic, and BBQ areas available.
4. Clovelly Beach
Where: Clovelly
Details: One of Sydney’s most popular snorkel spots, this is a great place for beginner snorkelers as well as families to head out and have a splash. There is a calm enclosed pool where you can enjoy sea life on most days, but the real snorkeling action happens on the other side, in the ocean. You’ll get to enjoy varied underwater topography, lots of sponges and giant cuttlefish, as well as the resident blue groupers.
Information:
- The concreted pool makes this spot great for families and beginners who want easy entry into the ocean (there are steps to enter and exit).
- More confident swimmers should head out further from shore, snorkeling around the edge towards Gordons Bay where there is an abundance of marine life to explore.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, and food available on-site.
4. Clovelly Beach
Where: Clovelly
Details: One of Sydney’s most popular snorkel spots, this is a great place for beginner snorkelers as well as families to head out and have a splash. There is a calm enclosed pool where you can enjoy sea life on most days, but the real snorkeling action happens on the other side, in the ocean. You’ll get to enjoy varied underwater topography, lots of sponges and giant cuttlefish, as well as the resident blue groupers.
Information:
- The concreted pool makes this spot great for families and beginners who want easy entry into the ocean (there are steps to enter and exit).
- More confident swimmers should head out further from shore, snorkeling around the edge towards Gordons Bay where there is an abundance of marine life to explore.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, and food available on-site.
5. Gordons Bay
Where: Coogee
Details: Just on the other side of Clovelly Beach is this small hidden wonder, a calm beach where you can snorkel with catfish, combers, horse fish, pufferfish, and more. Enclosed by giant cliffs and boulders this beach is peaceful and picturesque, and one of Sydney’s best snorkel sites.
Information:
- There is a self-guided Underwater Natural Trail offering information about local marine life,
- You can walk to and from this beach via a coastal walk from Clovelly or Coogee Beach,
- There are no facilities at this beach.
6. Kurnell Beach
Where: Botany Bay National Park
Details: This is where Captain Cook first landed in Australia, and there’s an abundance of marine and sea life to discover where it all happened. This rocky peninsula is one of Sydney’s quieter and more scenic beaches, and you don’t have to go very far to be swimming with giant cuttlefish, moray eels, Port Jackson sharks, and colourful weedy sea dragons (seahorse relatives).
Information:
- The north side of the beach has a tidal pool with shallow waters great for kids.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, and food available on-site.
6. Kurnell Beach
Where: Botany Bay National Park
Details: This is where Captain Cook first landed in Australia, and there’s an abundance of marine and sea life to discover where it all happened. This rocky peninsula is one of Sydney’s quieter and more scenic beaches, and you don’t have to go very far to be swimming with giant cuttlefish, moray eels, Port Jackson sharks, and colourful weedy sea dragons (seahorse relatives).
Information:
- The north side of the beach has a tidal pool with shallow waters great for kids.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, showers, and food available on-site.
7. Little Bay
Where: La Perouse
Details: Perfect for families, small children, and newbie snorkelers who don’t want to go too far from the city to see the good stuff, Little Bay is one of Sydney’s cleanest and most picturesque beaches. Less visited than some other popular Sydney spots, Little Bay is protected by two rocky headlands which provide shallow, calm waters for exploring marine life. The sea life is not so abundant and varied as elsewhere, but there are still colourful sea urchins and small fish to be discovered here.
Facilities:
- Bathrooms, picnic areas, and BBQs available on-site.
How many people dream of snorkelling but don't feel comfortable wearing a snorkel mask?
The answer is: too many! Traditional snorkel masks can be uncomfortable and scary for many people, so the beauty of snorkelling goes undiscovered and unexperienced. Whether it's breathing difficulties, choking on sea water, or foggy goggles, there's a lot that prevents people from enjoying the wonderful sport of snorkelling. And that thought makes us sad.
We think everyone should be able to enjoy the underwater world - safely, comfortably, and easily. That's why we created Ninja Shark and our revolutionary line of full face snorkel masks. They're designed to be super comfy, easy-to-use, and make snorkelling accessible for all. Because nobody should miss out on discovering what's under the sea.
The Influencer @lud.around is a NINJASHARK lover!
NINJASHARK is the sound of a revolution in snorkeling. Whereas other water equipments companies are constantly adding poor quality products, we listen to your feedback and constantly improve our products to fit for all of your needs.
While other water equipments companies offer just a way to look under the water, NINJASHARK wants to create an amazing experience for water enthusiasts. That's why we listen to your feedbacks and we develop products based on them.
The Influencer @lud.around doesn’t believes just in snorkelling, but in the entire experience of it. When NinjaShark asked her what is in her beach bag everytime she goes on a vacation, she said, “Ninja Shark: I'm not leaving my room without the mask. The full face snorkeling mask from Australia is comfortable and fit me perfectly! Love how easy it is to breath out your nose and mouth when you snorkeling and even has earplugs! ”
“The mask include GOPRO mounts, so you can easily film and photograph underwater scenery! I highly recommend especially to people who have a fear of snorkeling! This mask is really easy to use and is safe!” said @lud.around. “I can’t wait for my next trip with my new mask!”
The Ninja Shark full face snorkel masks makes your experiences the best they can be. They are exclusively sold on the Ninja Shark website.
The Ninja Shark full face snorkel masks comes equipped with advanced Anti-Fog technology, automatic drainage, no CO2 Buildup with improved uni-directional valves, and a revolutionary breathe flow system so you can breathe through both your nose and mouth.
Our founder Andrew and Alizee are lifelong entrepreneurs and happy husband and wife. Andrew, is the visionary and marketing genius behind Ninja Shark. He’s always loved to swim and explore vast open waters, whether that be in a river, lake, or sea. Since he started snorkelling with a full face mask and flippers, however, his fascination with the underwater world has become unstoppable. Andrew always says: “The sea will be conquered!”
Alizee, is first and foremost a child of the land and avid hiker, with her passion for mysterious underwater life coming in second. In her past life (as in, before Ninja Shark life), Alizee created and sold a real estate company and managed the backend of numerous other businesses. She’s the glue that keeps Ninja Shark from busting at the proverbial seams as it grows from its current state of small Aussie family business. She’s the business brain, taking care of all things logistical and numeric, she’s the “life saver of the company”.
Ninja Shark started out more as a passion than a business.
Since Andrew and Alizee loved to go underwater so much, they tried to take their friends with them. We’ve all been in that situation where we try to share an incredible experience with loved ones, and that’s where Andrew and Alizee were at. But every so often, they’d come across someone who just couldn’t manage to breathe through a tube with their nose blocked (i.e, snorkelling).
It’s a wide held belief amongst the general public that snorkelling can be a little difficult. It’s fair enough – breathing seems unnatural with a snorkel, and the mouthpiece might be considered uncomfortable or unhygienic. The mask’s field of vision can be quite narrow, and when it fogs up you don’t really get to enjoy the underwater marvels so much.
You might be reading this as a snorkeller and scoffing, but it’s all true! Many studies have been conducted on the beaches of Europe, China, and Brazil, and the results all share the same sentiment: snorkelling is often considered difficult by the general public.
So, that was what started Andrew and Alizee off on their journey, where they eventually found the concept of a full face mask. Although the idea was already on the market, it was in its early beginnings, and they had to be sure it was something worth recommending to their friends.
Andrew and Alizee tested at least 6-7 types of full face masks, each with their own unique differences. They were surprised to find so much variation between the different types of full face masks, despite it being a relative newcomer to the scene.
Over the next 12 months, Andrew and Alizee worked tirelessly writing down, testing, adapting, studying, and testing again, to come up with the most advanced full face mask on the market.
And that’s how Ninja Shark can offer you the numerous improvements made to the special v2.0 Full Face Mask Model.
“If you thought we’re just here to sell you products, think again. You’re part of the Ninja Shark family, and your feedback matters! We’re constantly working to improve our products and deliver the full face snorkel mask that exists only in our dreams!”
What customers are saying about us…
“Makes snorkelling easier and more fun
Just in the middle of a trip to the Maldives. Have already used my full face mask 4 times. So easy to put on. Great to be able to breath normally all the time. If water does get in it disappears through the valve at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about it. Fantastic view through the mask. I have not had to stop once to adjust it in the water even after a rush jump in job to view the whale sharks. Well worth purchasing even if you don’t snorkel often.” – Fiona
What customers are saying about us…
“Makes snorkelling easier and more fun
Just in the middle of a trip to the Maldives. Have already used my full face mask 4 times. So easy to put on. Great to be able to breath normally all the time. If water does get in it disappears through the valve at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about it. Fantastic view through the mask. I have not had to stop once to adjust it in the water even after a rush jump in job to view the whale sharks. Well worth purchasing even if you don’t snorkel often.” – Fiona
All Ninja Shark Products are tailor-made with medical silicone.
We care about making our products safe and healthy for you—and our planet.
That’s why the Ninja Shark Full Face Snorkelling Masks are made from a non-toxic and environmentally friendly anti-allergic medical grade silicone, that’s not only safer for your kids but safer for you too.