Snorkel Coffs Harbour – Trips to the Solitary Islands Marine Park
Come and Snorkel Coffs Harbour with Jetty Dive aboard one of our boats to the Solitary Islands Marine Park sanctuary zones and discover the underwater wonders.
The Sanctuary zones of the marine park have an amazing amount of fish-life, anything from the tropical varieties like “Nemo and Dory” (Clownfish and Blue Tangs!) to the “silvery” schools of fish from the sub-tropics. Turtles are common and maybe you will see dolphins on the trip out.
Snorkelling trips are very dependent of surface conditions and the clarity of the water, and unfortunately we do not always have suitable conditions. Please check with our staff to find out if the conditions are suitable, when booking.
We also offer the PADI Freediver course for training to become skilled in advanced snorkelling.
Skill level required:
Must be competent at snorkelling.
When do the Snorkel Coffs Harbour trips start?
This can vary seasonally.
Year round:
- 7:30am start for those trips that are in conjunction with our dive trips. They return to the shop around 1.30pm
Summer Seasons:
- Morning or Afternoon trips run on demand, starting at 7.30am returning to dock at 12.30pm or 12.30pm at the shop. return to the Marina between 4.30 and 5.00pm. Check for the availability when booking.
What is involved?
The trips takes you to two different sites around the islands. Total time in the water is between 30 and 90 minutes, between the two snorkels.
We provide a morning tea on the boats during our diver’s “surface interval”. This involves light snacks, tea coffee and soup.
All of your hire equipment is included! This is a wetsuit (3mm, 5mm, or 7mm), mask, snorkel, and fins.
There is a coxswain on the boat at all times, but this snorkel trip is not guided. If you require a guide, please discuss this with the shop when booking.
Do we need to be able to snorkel? Can kids go snorkelling?
Previous snorkelling experience is required for our sites. Conditions are not usually flat calm and snorkelling skills and swimming experience is mandatory!
We can take kids of all ages as long as they are confident snorkellers and swimmers. You must supervise your children in the water at all times. The Snorkelling is usually supervised by the Boat crew, therefore you will need to be responsible for your water safety.
It is important to keep in mind that the dive sites are 5-20m in depth, so there isn’t any point that you can touch the bottom or stand up in the water.
What conditions are we to expect to Snorkel in Coffs Harbour?
On it’s day, the Solitary Islands Marine Park has spectacular conditions and snorkelling. However that “day” is reliant on two factors, the weather and the visibility (clarity of the water).
Surface conditions can become too choppy or the swell may make it too rough, whilst the visibility must exceed around 15 metres.
The depth of the water varies from 5 metres to 20 metres, so it is not like areas of the Great Barrier Reef that have shallow calm snorkelling. This is why we require visibility of 15 metres as a minimum. We want you to be able to see!
The Solitary Islands feature is the amount of fishlife and corals in the sanctuary zones, you will see lots of fish, turtles and coral. But it needs to be good conditions. We explain this because we do find we postpone or cancel a few trips because of the conditions. We would rather not take you out there if we know it’s not going to be enjoyable!
How much does it cost?
Snorkelling trip – $160.00 per person
Bookings are essential!
A holiday booking tip!
If you are coming to Coffs Harbour and are planning to do a snorkelling trip, book in prior to coming and allow alternative days to go out, that way we can get you on the best day possible! Our weather is not always kind!
This cost includes a small morning tea on board. We have hot water for Cup-a-soup, tea, and coffee, and provide a small serve shapes/biscuits. We do have vegetarian soups available.
Availability and Booking
The snorkelling trips are available any day that a Scuba Diving Charter heads out – as long as the weather and visibility are suitable (as noted above). You can book in online for a day that suits you, and we will let you know if the conditions are not suitable.
Otherwise, you can contact us through email or call us (+61266511611) to chat about when might be a good time to Snorkel Coffs Harbour!
Want to buy a trip for a friend? You can purchase Gift Certificates for our snorkelling trips! Click here to purchase a Gift Certificate!
Booking Conditions
- The Solitary Islands Snorkel Trips rely on minimum numbers, and have maximum limits too, so prior bookings are essential! Be early in busy times!
- A deposit is required to secure your booking. Deposits are fully refundable if 48 hours notice before the trip change of date or cancellation is given. (If we cancel trip due to weather we can also provide a full refund. Refer to part 29 of our terms and conditions for more details)
- Trips are weather dependent, and may be cancelled if unsuitable sea conditions prevail. This is a decision made by Jetty Dive Centre Staff, we will not go ahead if conditions are unsafe. Rain does not constitute for bad weather – it can often lead to better diving with more abundant fishlife!
- Plan for SeaSickness! Even if you do not usually experience sea-sickness, we recommend taking travel sickness medication as it is better to be safe than sorry. We do not recommend using ginger. We CANNOT provide any medications.
- You will need to fill out our Snorkel Indemity Form at least 24 hours prior to departure. Fill this out HERE. These forms last until the end of the current calendar year.
- We have adopted a ‘Reef-Safe Sunscreen Only” policy for our trips. If you will be getting in the water, please ensure you wear only reef-safe sunscreen. For more guidance, and to check your sunscreen, please read our post about our Reef-Safe Sunscreen Policy.
