Turquoise Bay Drift Snorkel
LOCATION Ningaloo Reef, Cape Range National Park, Exmouth, Western Australia
DEPTH 2-5 Meters
WATER TEMP 22-28 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Medium
Beware of the strong current at the end of the drift
FEATURE

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Turquoise Bay Drift Snorkel
The Turquoise Bay drift is one of the most popular shore snorkels on Ningaloo Reef. Walk along the beach as far as you feel like drifting back then let the gentle current do the work as float over coral gardens full of colourful tropical fish, turtles, rays and reef sharks. Some swimming ability is required here as the current strengthens at the end of the snorkel.
What Can I See?
- Turtles
- Reef Sharks
- Stingrays
- Clown Fish
- Octopus
- Fish
Getting There
Follow Yardie Creek Road down the reef side of the Exmouth Peninsula in Cape Range National Park. The road is sealed, look for the turn off approx. 20km south of the National Park pay station.
Where & How do you get in?
There are two car parks at Turquoise Bay – One at the bay itself, the other is for the drift snorkel which is the first carpark you get to and is signed from the access road. From the Drift Snorkel carpark there are 2 tracks to the beach. The short one is a 50m walk to the water then you walk up the beach as far as you want then get in. A second track, at the other end of the carpark, is 300m long and takes you along the beach behind the dunes to an access point by the water. We like the walk along the beach because you can see rays swimming in the shallows.
Best Season
Excellent year round – just watch the sun from October to April as it can be very hot.
Autumn is typically warm water and warm daytime temperatures great for boating a swimming. Be aware of stingers this time of year and be fully covered. Winter will see a greater chance of swiming with Mantarays.
During summer temperatures average around 37 degrees so it is likely to be very hot from November – February. Temperatures are much more pleasant during the winter months of May – September with an average temperature of 24 degrees.
- Turtles all year round but nesting from November to March
- Whale Sharks – March – August
- Manta Rays all year round but very active from April to November
- Humpback Whales – June – October
- Turtle Hatching – January – March
Potential Hazards
- Strong currents at the end of the drift
How Busy / Crowds
- This is one of the most popular snorkels on Ningaloo Reef however it is easy to spread out here so overcrowding tends not to be a problem
Parking
- There are separate car parks for the drift snorkel and Turquoise Bay itself. If you are just looking to do the drift, aim for the first car park. The Bay car park can be busier as it is such a picturesque and family friendly spot. You can snorkel at the bay too, there is more coral at the right end of the bay.
Costs / Permits
Turquoise Bay is within the national park. If you don’t have a national park pass, there is a self serve station as you enter the park.
$17 per standard vehicle.
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
We have been here when there was a south westerly blowing and we didn’t bother getting in. Best breeze is an easterly or northerly or light wind from any direction. The snorkel is not tide dependent. At high tide you have a little further to swim out to get to the coral.
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 Turquoise Bay

Toilets

Parking
About the Snorkel
Like so many others who visit Ningaloo Reef, the Turquoise Bay Drift rates as one our favourite snorkels in the area. We have done this snorkel several times and there is a never ending variety of things you can see amongst the massive coral gardens.
It is worth mentioning again that you need to watch the current at the end of the snorkel – it is strong! So, head back into shore before you get to the sand bar at the southern end of the bay. Look for the post with the life ring on it and don’t go past there.
We have spotted white and black tip reef sharks here. Blue spotted rays rest at the base of coral bommies and there are a huge variety of colourful fish that will have you diving for your fish guidebooks.
On one snorkel here a few years ago, we were followed along almost the entire way by a huge northwest snapper. On another snorkel, a small green turtle kept us company for much of the drift.
How long you drift for will depend how far up the beach you feel like walking. For most of the drift the current isn’t so strong that you fight to swim against it – that only happens at the end of the drift. The coral is a bit closer to shore about 500m and again at 1km up the beach so they are both good entry point.
That said, the reef is 50m – 300m offshore (depending on the tide and where you get in) so any spot is a good starting point. As you walk along the beach keep an eye on the shallows. Bull rays and shovel nose rays are regularly seen in less than a 1m of water swimming along the beach.
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