Pulu Maraya Snorkel
LOCATION West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia
DEPTH 1-2 Meters
WATER TEMP 25-30 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Medium
Tricky walk across to the island – reef shoes are a must.
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2024 Imagery © Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies
Pulu Maraya Snorkel
LOCATION West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia
DEPTH 1-2 Meters
WATER TEMP 25-30 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Medium
Tricky walk across to the island – reef shoes are a must.
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2024 Imagery © Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies
Pulu Maraya Snorkel
This amazing drift snorkel is one of the snorkelling highlights in the Cocos Islands. The fun starts with an adventurous walk across to the island from Scout Park. A current then takes you part way around the island before you hop out, walk across the island and start again. Snorkel with little reef sharks, rays, eels and an aquarium of tropical fish.
What Can I See?
HUGE variety of fish here, we saw some snapper chasing an eel around too
- Turtles
- Sharks
- Stingrays
- Tropical Fish
- Eel
- Snapper
- Octopus
- Clams
Getting There
First you have to get to the Cocos Islands which you can do with twice weekly flights from Perth. Once on the main island – West Island – it is about 4.5km to Scout Park from where you walk or swim (depending on the tide) across to the island. If you don’t have a car, you could ride your bike out there if you don’t mind the heat.
Where & How do you get in?
Entry is from the beach at Scout Park. Your aim is to get to the right half of the island to start your snorkel where there is a pool protected by a wall of reef. From there you can drift around the island.
How you get across will depend on a couple of things – the depth and the current. It was too shallow for us to swim across so we walked over in waist deep water. We were able to swim back which was fun as we let the current to the work for us – but even then it got shallow at times.
If you do the motorised canoe tour, they take you out to the island directly.
Best Season
There is a huge amount to see here year round. Best time to visit the Cocos Islands is April to November when the trade winds keep the heat and humidity down and you miss the monsoon showers.
Potential Hazards
- Currents – You don’t really need fins here as the current pulls you around the island
Recommended Gear
- Reef Shoes
- Camera
How Busy / Crowds
- There is a motorised canoe tour that visits here – try to avoid the place then as it is busy (it is a great tour – we did it and it is a hoot). If you can avoid the tour you won’t see many other people there.
Parking
- Park at Scout Park. There is generally plenty of parking.
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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Tours
Cocosday Motorised Canoe Tour stops here – great fun
Best Conditions
At low tide the water around the island can get very shallow – some areas are almost too shallow to snorkel. We found at mid tide you could walk across and let the current take you back and there enough water to do the half island drift snorkel.
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 Scout Park
There are no facilities on the island, facilities are at Scout Park
Toilets
Picnic Tables
Parking
BBQ’s
Shade
About the Snorkel
We first did this snorkel as part of a motorised canoe tour and we came back a couple more times during our stay. Pulu Maraya is at the southern end of West Island which is where you will stay if you visit the Cocos Islands.
This snorkel is a shallow drift halfway around the island. Once you get part way around, you come ashore, walk across the island which only takes a few minutes, and go around again. The current around the island is strong enough that you won’t need flippers.
We had so much fun here. The small island has its own little lagoon which is where you start the snorkel from. The water here is protected by reef so it is crystal clear and calm. There is life everywhere and with every lap you do you will see something different.
At low tide, there is only just enough water to snorkel but that doesn’t mean you won’t see schools of tropical fish, sharks, eels and more.
Our highlight was watching a couple of blue fin trevally chase an undulated eel in less than 1m of water. While we watched them, small reef sharks cruised right past us. Seeing a cute little spotted blennie was also fun.
You can see big schools of fish closer to the island hiding below the overhangs, you can swim right through them which is very cool. Once you get to the far side of the island, keep an eye out for baby reef sharks that swim along in 30cm of water. They are quite curious and will swim right up to your ankles.
The far side of the island is also where you might see some turtles but they didn’t come our way. There were so many fish to watch though, it didn’t matter. This is one of those swimming in an aquarium snorkels where there is something new to look at in every direction.
Drifting around Pulu Maraya is a must if you get to Cocos Island. It one of the best snorkels we have ever done.
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