Diverse marine life a few metres from the beach, and the opportunity to see magical, rare creatures such as Octopus, Wobbegong, Turtles, and Nudibranch. A great spot for a snorkel at high tide, and a short walk from Nelson Bay beach with plenty of parking.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
Snorkel Snaps
Where is Fly Point, Nelson Bay?
The popular Fly Point aquatic reserve is located in the coastal town of Nelson Bay, around the point from the main Beach and Marina. The snorkel spot is a 2.5 hour drive north of Sydney, and located in the coastal region of Port Stephens, New South Wales. The snorkel spot is located along the rocky coastline.
Snorkel Spot
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral
1-3 Meters Average Depth
OK/Good Visibility
Easy to Medium Difficulty
Cafe’s 5-10 min walk, BBQ spot near
Free to snorkel
Sea Urchins Present
Jellyfish can Be Present
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Tour Cost:
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Fly Point is located in Nelson Bay nature reserve, in the coastal town of Manly, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It is a 20-minute Ferry journey from the city centre, passing the opera house and Harbour Bridge. This is one of the most popular snorkel spots in Sydney, and New South Wales, as the protected sheltered bay is home to a breadth of marine life, and accessible from the beach.
Snorkel Spot
You can access the water from the beach. there is a rocky, kelp-covered sea bed that runs along the boardwalk side of the beach. Here you can see smaller marine life swimming between the green and yellow kelp, only 5 meters from the beach.
Fly Point Snorkel Spot
The bay has a rocky shoreline which you should avoid. The sea bed ranges from 1-3 meters in depth. The sea bed is largely covered with vibrant sea kelp, patches of boulder rocks, and sandy bottoms. There is a current at each side of the bay.
Where to enter the water
The main entrance that has been carved out is an opening between the rocks, located at the bottom of the stairs (as seen in image below). The walkway is still pretty rocky and can have sharp rocks so be careful, less difficult at high tide. There was a beach area and a dry rocky section where most people left their towels etc.
Enter using the Steps
Enter to snorkel at the beach
Safety Tip:
A few safety tips include ocean shoes or flippers, as there are sharp rocks on entrance and exit, and the water is relatively shallow and you can easily kick the rocky seabed. Flippers will make it easier to swim with the currents found on the right and left hand-side of the bay.
There are sea urchins present in the rocks and flippers will protect your feet. Entering and leaving the water can be challenging, take your time and I find it is easier once the water is at a 0.5 metres to float and swim forward.
I’d recommend wearing a rash vest to protect you from UV rays, and jellyfish. Finally high tide is best for entering the water and low tide is not recommended.
Fly Point Marine Life
Snorkeling from the beach you meet a rocky shoreline and kelp forests on the left-hand and right-hand side. I snorkeled along the left-hand side, on the side of the boardwalk. There were mainly smaller fish swimming amongst the Kelp, and that could be spotted on the patches of sand, such as the Sergeant Baker and Scorpionfish, which were seen at a depth of 3-4 meters. There were many female Eastern Groper fish swimming within the rocks. However, I didn’t see any of the larger male blue fish.
Top Tip:
High tide will likely bring safer, less rocky conditions, and can bring better visibility and easier conditions to manoeuvre and snorkel. The entrance to the water is at the bottom of the steps at high tide.
Summary
Fly Point is an awesome snorkel spot if you’re staying in Nelson Bay or Port Stephens. The kelp forest and rocky bay is home to a range of very diverse marine life.
The Aquatic nature reserve is home to the Octopus, Dwarf Ornate Wobbegong, Green Turtle, Nudibranch, Sea Horse, Cuttlefish, Lobster.
The bay is generally protected from large waves, but be sure to check the wave weather forecast. High tide is recommended for a safer entrance (less rocky), deeper water to snorkel in and more suitable for beginners. You’re very likely to see large schools of fish swimming amongst the Sea Kelp. Surprisingly the larger species such as Wobbegongs, Octopus, Lobsters can be seen close to shore in low tide, but can be very camouflaged, so you’ll need your eagle eye to spot them.
Tour Guide Options
It is free to snorkel at Fly Point Aquatic nature reserve, with car parking available. I’m unaware of snorkel trips that go to this spot.
Best Snorkel Spot
In my opinion, the best snorkeling spot was as you walk in through the carved out pathway to the water, to the right hand side. I followed the kelp forest which turned into sea grass, then sandy with patches of kelp.
The best spot to see schools of fish is at the entrance, a few meters from the pathway, where there are usually schools of fish swimming in the rocky shallows, and above yellow/green kelp.
Best Time Of Year
You can snorkel all year round in calm wave conditions, but conditions can be better during Australia’s Summer season which runs from April to October. The marine life can vary due to the time of the year, and also tide conditions.
Popular Marine Life
Eastern Groper Wrasse
Stripey
Damselfish
Australian Mado
Rare Marine Life
Green Turtle
Giant Cuttlefish
Common Octopus
Dwarf Ornate Wobbegong Shark
Box Pufferfish
What I Saw
(Seen on December 2024)
| Common Octopus | Dwarf Ornate Wobbegong |
| Australian Mado | Stripey |
| Crescent Wrasse | Rough Leatherjacket |
| Tarwhine | Eastern Rock Lobster |
| Parore | Dusky Flathead |
| Yellowfin Bream | Smooth Toadfish |
NSW Snorkel Reviews
NSW Things to Do
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re staying in Manly, you can walk to the beach, approximately a 15-minute walk from the Corso. If you’re staying in Sydney city centre, then the easiest route would be to get the fast or slow ferry from Circular Quays harbour. There are ferries departing to and from Manly every 10-15 minutes. You can use an opal card or contactless payment card. Once you arrive at Manly Wharf, it is a 10-minute walk through the Corso (high street), and then turn right and walk along Manly Long Beach and round the wooden walkway to Shelley. You can use the NSW trip planner, or Google Maps to plan your route.
It is free to snorkel on the nature reserve, however there are snorkel trips that range in cost, at approximately $100.00 AUS dollars ($65.00 US Dollars).
There is always a chance to see rare marine life, this can be influenced by the tide and visibility conditions, how long you’re in the water and your eagle eye. I was in the water for 1.5 hours and saw the majority of the rarer marine life suchas the Octopus and Wobbegong at the end of the snorkel.
I didn’t go on a tour, I went for a 1.5 hour snorkel at midday in December and it was free to snorkel. There was a car park above the beach.
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
New South Wales Snorkel Reviews
