Port Victoria Jetty
LOCATION Port Victoria, Yorke Peninsula South Australia
DEPTH 2-8 Meters
WATER TEMP 18-23 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Easy
The Jetty has steps for easy access to the water.
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2023 Imagery © Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies
Port Victoria Jetty
LOCATION Port Victoria, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
DEPTH 2-8 Meters
WATER TEMP 18-23 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Easy
The Jetty has steps for easy access to the water.
FEATURE
Port Victoria Jetty Snorkel
We had a magic experience snorkelling with a friendly bottlenose dolphin under the Port Victoria Jetty on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Besides the dolphin, there was plenty of life on the pylons including colourful soft corals, crabs and a range of fish. Divers found an octopus and pipefish on the bottom.
What Can I See?
- Dolphins
- Stingrays
- Octopus
- Fish
- Sea Horses
- Colourful sponges & soft corals on the jetty pylons
- We didn’t spot any, but keep an eye out for eagle rays which are common in the area.
Getting There
Port Victoria is a small holiday town on the west coast of the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Port Victoria is 185km from Adelaide. The best way to get there is by car, public transport isn’t really an option. There is a caravan park and rental accommodation available in the town. You could base yourself here and some of the other snorkels nearby such as Point Turton and Hardwicke Bay.
Where & How do you get in?
From the carpark, it is a short walk along the jetty to a set of stairs on your right that get you into the water. At very low tide, the bottom step might be out of the water, otherwise it is an easy entry and exit for the snorkel.
Best Season
We enjoyed the warmer conditions of the summer months but if you are happy to brave the cold the winter can provide calmer conditions and great visibility.
Potential Hazards
- It is a popular fishing spot so stay under the jetty to avoid hooks and lines.
Recommended Gear
- In summer we had our 2mm wetsuit on and were very comfortable
How Busy / Crowds
- Yorke Peninsula is a very popular holiday region over October, January and April. Port Victoria is less busy than other towns in the region.
Parking
- Even in January school holidays we had no trouble getting a park close to the jetty.
Costs / Permits
- No costs or permits required to snorkel under the Jetty.
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 main consideration for snorkelling at Port Victoria is the wind. The best time to snorkel at Port Victoria Jetty is when there is a southeast or easterly wind or no wind at all – but that doesn’t happen too often on Yorke Peninsula! Even at low tide there is plenty of water under the jetty.
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 Port Victoria Jetty
Toilets
Picnic Tables
Parking
BBQ’s
Shade
Food & Drinks
Boat Ramp
About the Snorkel
When we arrived at Port Victoria Jetty it was a cool, overcast day and, I have to admit, our enthusiasm wasn’t high. We walked out to the jetty for a look and there were a couple of divers going in. We asked them what it was like and they said it was worth the effort. As well as colourful soft corals, they had also spotted a dolphin last time they were here.
There are some steps that give you easy access to the water. We had been in the water for about 2 minutes admiring the amazing colour on the pylons, when from nowhere, a dolphin appeared and swum straight past us. So cool! We thought that would be it for dolphin sightings but it stayed around the jetty the entire time we were in doing laps around us. It was swimming slowly, bobbing its head as it swum past us and seemed in no hurry to move on.
After 30 minutes it disappeared so we snorkelled out under the jetty admiring the pink, yellow and orange soft corals. There was all sorts of life on the pylons – crabs, shrimps, fish. We got to the end of the jetty and went to make our way back in – and there it was again. The dolphin re-appeared next to us and followed us back in as we made our way towards the steps.
We stayed in the water at the steps for another 30 minutes watching the dolphin glide around us. It was one of the most amazing snorkelling experiences we have ever had. To quote a local who was fishing on the jetty – ‘dolphins here aren’t rare’, and apparently there are 4-5 dolphins that regularly visit the jetty.
Dolphins, aside, this was still a fun and easy snorkel that is worth doing whether there is a dolphin around or not – seeing it was a huge bonus. We went back to Port Victoria Jetty a few days later to see if we could repeat the experience – but no. However with the sun out, the life on the pylons lit up like a Christmas tree.
We caught up with the divers once we got out who said every time they turned around the dolphin was looking over their shoulder. They also spotted seahorses and an octopus on the bottom too.
Check out more places to snorkel on Yorke Peninsula here.
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