Brilliant snorkel spot where you can see Giant Cuttlefish, Eastern Blue Gropers, Stingrays, and Sharks. Cabbage Tree Bay nature reserve, in the popular tourist town of Manly in North Sydney, New South Wales.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
Snorkel Snaps
Where is Shelly Beach / Cabbage Tree Bay?
The popular snorkel spots and nature reserve is located in the coastal town of Manly, North of Sydney city centre, in the Australian state of New South Wales. The snorkel spot runs from the beach along the rocky coastline.
Snorkel Spot
Snorkel Review
Highlights
No Coral
3-5 Meters Average Depth
Good Visibility
Easy to Medium Difficulty
Cafe’s nearby
Free, tours $40-50 USD
Sea Urchins Present
Jellyfish can Be Present
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Tour Cost:
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Shelly Beach is located in Cabbage Tree 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
Shelly Beach
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.
Cabbage Tree Bay
The bay has a rocky shoreline which you should avoid. The sea bed ranges from 1-5 meters in depth. The sea bed is largely covered with vibrant sea kelp, patches of boulder rocks, and sandy bottoms.
Safety Tip:
A few safety tips include wearing flippers, as it is a large bay and flippers will make it easier to swim. There are sea urchins in the rocks and flippers will protect your feet. Entering and leaving the water can be challenging from Cabbage Tree, as are large rocks, and barnacles which can be dangerous with a wave.
I’d recommend starting from Shelly Beach and snorkeling around the bay and then back. Finally, I’d recommend wearing a rash vest which will protect you from UV rays, and also jellyfish.
Shelly Beach 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:
The snorkel spot can get very crowded in the water around midday, or early afternoon. If you snorkel before 9:00am-10:00am you’ll beat the crowds and be more likely to see cuttlefish, turtles, sharks, and Rays. I went for an ocean swim from Manly to Shelly at 7:00am, and saw Wobbegong, Eagle Rays, Pufferfish etc!
Cabbage Tree Bay Marine Life
Summary
Shelly Beach and Cabbage Tree Bay are both awesome snorkel spots if you’re staying in Manly or Sydney. The kelp forest bay is home to a range of very diverse marine life, and on each snorkel I normally see different species.
The nature reserve is home to the Giant Cuttlefish, Eastern Groper Wrasse, several Stingrays, Eagle Ray, and smaller sharks including the Spotted Wobbegong.
The bay is generally protected from large waves, but be sure to check the wave weather forecast. Snorkelling in my opinion is best at low tide as there is less sediment. The larger species such as Wobbegongs, Giant Cuttlefish, Eagle Rays, and Sting Rays 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 Shelly Beach and Cabbage Tree Bay nature reserve. There are snorkel tours and also meet-ups which range in price, at approximately $100.00 AUS dollars ($65.00 US dollars).
Best Snorkel Spot
In my opinion, the best snorkeling for seeing the Giant Cuttlefish and large Eastern Groper Wrasse is in Cabbage Tree Bay, they dart in between the large rocky seabed. For seeing unusual fish perched on the sea bed, on the corner of Shelly Beach was excellent, where you can see larger Wobbegongs, Scorpionfish, Sergeant Baker fish etc.
The best spot in the morning is in the deeper waters of Shelly Beach where you can see large marine life, such as Wobbegong sharks, Eagle Rays, and large schools of fish. If you don’t want to stay in shallow waters, then along the left-hand side off the beach, on the walkway side. This would be suitable, as you’ll see the kelp forests and smaller marine life.
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, for example, you’re more likely to see Giant Cuttlefish in the Autumn and winter months.
From my experience of snorkeling at Shelly and Cabbage Tree Bay over 5+ times, the marine life varies nearly every snorkel. The popular marine life which is common all year round I’ve highlighted below.
Popular Marine Life
Eastern Groper Wrasse
Stingrays
Stripey
Damselfish
Black-Spot Goatfish
Australian Mado
Grey Mullet
Common Stingree
Australian Snapper
Old Wife
Kapala Ray
Rare Marine Life
Pufferfish
Green Turtle
Giant Cuttlefish
Blacktip Reef Shark
Hawksbill Turtle
Striped Eel Catfish
Common Octopus
Spotted Wobbegong Shark
Southern Eagle Ray
What I Saw
(Seen on February, March, 2024)
Eastern Blue Groper Wrasse | Kapala Stingray |
Australian Mado | Rock Cale Fish |
Crescent Wrasse | Rough Leatherjacket |
Black-Spot Goatfish | Old Wife Fish |
Neon Damselfish | Tarwhine |
Sergeant Baker | Starry Pufferfish |
Old Wife | Maori Wrasse |
Common Stingree | Southern Eagle Ray |
Striped Eel Catfish | Black Sea Urchin |
Estuary Catfish | Spotted Wobbegong Shark |
Parore | Gold Spot Mullet |
Surge Demoiselle | Yellowtail Kingfish |
Stripey | Red Rockcod |
Mosaic Leatherjacket | Eastern Hulafish |
Eastern Pomfred | Rough Leatherjacket |
Moon Wrasse | Red Morwong |
Fiddler Ray | Australian Giant Cuttlefish |
Australian Snapper | Green Turtle |
Hawksbill Turtle | White-spotted Pufferfish |
Southern Reef Squid | Snapper |
Black-Margined Nudibranch | Short-tailed Stingray |
Dusky Flathead | Eastern Shovelnose Stingree |
Port Jackson Shark |
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).
I would say your chances of seeing large fish at Cabbage tree Bay are pretty high, as the Eastern Blue Groper Wrasse, is popular and can be seen slowly swimming in between the large rock corridors. Giant Cuttlefish, and Stingrays are a bit less likely, however can be seen. Turtles aren’t commonly seen, but can be seen in the morning at Cabbage Tree Bay normally in the morning.
I didn’t go on a tour, I snorkelled multiple times and also swam a sunrise ocean swim. My best snorkel was near high tide with better visibility. I saw the larger marine life during my ocean swim in the morning before 9:00am.