A Snorkel Trip By Boat On Jervis Bay – With A Cave!
My husband and I met through a shared love of scuba diving – must tell that story here on day – and yet we have never ever gone diving together.
We do snorkel though, and this summer at Jervis Bay I really wanted the whole family to snorkel together and to have a bit of an adventure.
The four kids and myself had had a fantastic time snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef on our trip to Cairns and Port Douglas earlier in the year. We’d all wished Paul could be with us then.
He was pretty happy to be along on this trip
So we booked a snorkel trip with the friendly local dive shop Dive Jervis Bay and off we went one fine day.
Teen 17 and I had done a snorkel trip with Dive Jervis Bay a few years ago. That time we joined the scuba divers and snorkelled above them beside Bowen Island, near to Murray’s Beach – (Of The Shark That Got Away fame).
This time the boat trip was just for snorkelling, and we went to the towering cliffs near to the lighthouse on the north side of the Bay.
Our snorkelling guide gave us a good briefing on the way out
One of the nicest ways to go snorkeling and to see some of the more remote areas of Jervis Bay is to join Dive Jervis Bay on one of the regular boat snorkelling tours.
Our aim is to take you to two different snorkelling locations in and around Jervis Bay as part of our half day trip. Refreshments are provided during the trip and use of all equipment is included (mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit).
The water was so clear
Our first stop was called Boat Harbour, a very sheltered bay.
And it was teeming with sea life.
Say hello to a friendly stingray
And here’s an odd creature
Who can name this particular creature of the deep?
And here’s the local big blue groper
Here’s our vessel, and my little lad sitting in it, I think that groper was too much for him and he went back to the boat
Ande here’s myself, squinting into the sun
We all had wetsuits on and it was a very warm December day so we didn’t get cold. Still a hot drink and some afternoon tea were very welcome after that first snorkel session.
We next moved on to the cliff face very close to where the lighthouse is – see map at end.
See the second cave on the left, we went into it to go through an exhilerating swim-through
Teen17 knows no fear and was straight in there
I think that’s me about to be swooshed through the tunnel
Here comes Teen15 cruising along calmy
The view ahead from underwater was stunning
If you can spot the figure on the left, you’ll see how deep the water is
There was a crystal clear and very calm bowl at the end of the tunnel – I love this shot
And who did we find, lots of fiddler rays hiding in the seaweed. These guys are about one metre long. They’re also called banjo sharks… but I prefer fiddler ray, don’t you?
And here’s a close up of one big fella, taken on my camera by our snorkel guide and his amazing flippers which could get him down very deep
And here’s a final farewell from a stingray, we saw heaps of these
There are very few times that our family does the same thing together and enjoys the trip and being together. So this was a very special trip for us. Plus we had along a very longtime friend of the family – hello Helen!!
Rusty Rocket, who is 8, cut short his first snorkel and didn’t want to go in for a second try. He’ll be fine next time I am sure, and he did love the boat trip.
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Once back on dry land, the usual bickering and grumpiness (teenagers!) ensued.
So we must get back to snorkelling again VERY soon.
A great activity for kids and families at Jervis Bay.
Do you snorkel with the family?
PS The half day trip included all equipment and drinks and snacks. We paid about $95 per adult and much less for children.
More more information on Dive Jervis Bay snorkelling trips, click here.