Point Turton Jetty Snorkel
LOCATION Point Turton, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
DEPTH 1-8 Meters
WATER TEMP 18-23 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Easy
There is easy access from either the beach or jetty stairs. The Jetty is protected by the boat ramp breakwater.
FEATURE

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Point Turton Jetty Snorkel
This popular spot on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula is also a great snorkelling location. Point Turton Jetty’s pylons are covered in colorful soft corals, and teem with crabs, shrimps, worms, and small fish. There are also schools of fish and keep your eyes peeled for an eagle ray in the small sandy bay to the right of the jetty.
What Can I See?
- Colourful soft corals on the pylons
- Crabs
- Eagle Rays
- A variety of fish under the jetty including yellowtail scad, magpie perch, cow fish, zebrafish and old wives
Getting There
Point Turton is a popular coastal holiday town on the southwest corner of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Point Turton is 235km from Adelaide. Driving is the best way to get there with no public transport options available.
Where & How do you get in?
There are two access points. You can either walk along the jetty and get in the water from the stairs on the right a short distance along the jetty. The other option is to go down the steps and into the water at the sandy bay near the pontoon next to the jetty. The easier option if you are bare foot, is to get in from the jetty.
Best Season
We enjoyed the warmer conditions in summer but if you are happy to brave the cold, winter can provide calmer conditions and great visibility.
Potential Hazards
- This is a very popular fishing jetty but if you stay under the jetty you will avoid any entanglements.
- If venturing out from under the jetty keep an eye out for fishing lines and boat traffic.
Recommended Gear
- Water can be cool so a wetsuit is a good idea.
How Busy / Crowds
- It can can very busy here during October, January and April holidays. If you want to get a park close to the jetty, the earlier you snorkel the better.
Parking
- Parking is available in the Jetty carpark but it can be a busy spot from midday and into the afternoon.
The information for each snorkel spot is provided by people who have snorkelled there. However, snorkelling conditions change daily. Please be aware that wind, swell, tides and cloud cover can all affect visibility and your experience in the water.
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Best Conditions
The most important thing for good snorkelling at Point Turton is the wind direction. Conditions are best when there is a southeast or easterly breeze, or generally light winds.
The jetty can be snorkelled at all tides however if you want to explore the rocks either side of the jetty, you will need to be in the water at high tide, this side of Yorke Peninsula gets very low tides.
Windy Map Instructions – Click on the wind icon in the top right to see other conditions such as swell, temperature, rain. To clear the four day forecast click and close the wind icon.
Facilities at Point Turton
A caravan park is located right on the foreshore near the jetty.

Toilets

Picnic Tables

Parking

BBQ’s

Shade

Food & Drinks

Boat Ramp











About the Snorkel
We did this snorkel a couple of times over a few days. The jetty might not be very long, and there are plenty of people fishing around you, but there is a huge amount of life right under the jetty – well away for hooks and lines. We did one snorkel with the sun out and one when when it was overcast but both were a lot of fun.
The colour on the pylons is fantastic. There are all sorts of soft corals in all sorts of colour – white, pink, yellow, red, blue. When the sun is out the colour is spectacular.
The life on the pylons is amazing too. There are plenty of crabs, shrimps, worms, and small fish. We just lay there in the water watching a pylon and the longer you look the more you see – it is great fun!
There are plenty of small fish under the jetty. There was a huge school of yellowtail scad and lots of fish swimming between the pylons too. Even at the surface you will see a lot, the fish are quite curious and swim right up to you for a look if you are calm. We snorkelled the length of the jetty but most of the fish life is about one third of the way out.
Another feature of the Point Turton Jetty is the regular appearance of eagle rays. We briefly saw one come into the small sandy bay to the right of the jetty. If there are people around cleaning fish, the rays are more likely to come in.
This is a busy spot but once you get your head into the water it is easy to leave the activity above you behind. For colourful pylons you can’t beat Point Turton Jetty and it is an easier snorkel than at Edithburgh Jetty where the water and life is deeper down. If conditions are poor at Point Turton, try Wool Bay or Ardrossan jetties on the other side of the peninsula.
For more fun snorkels in the area, check out our Snork the Yorke Guide.
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