Experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef without having to head north with a 3-hour snorkeling experience at the Julian Rocks Marine Reserve in Byron Bay. Practice your snorkeling skills in the training pool, cruise out to Julian Rocks, then dive in to swim and snorkel amid colorful corals, tropical fish, manta rays, wobbegong sharks, and sea turtles.

Look out for whales and dolphins on the short cruise to Julian Rocks
Spot marine life including manta rays, wobbegong sharks, and three different types of sea turtle
No experience necessary: full instruction and all equipment provided
Small-group tour limited to 11 people ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Use of snorkel equipment (mask, snorkel, fins, wet suit)
Lockers for your valuables and bags
Free snorkel lesson before the tour in our onsite swimming pool
Boat transfers
Bottled water on board the vessel
Showers

Parking fee for public parking in Byron Bay
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Byron Bay Dive Centre
9 Marvell St, Byron Bay NSW 2481, Australia
Address: Byron Bay Dive Centre 9 Marvell Street Byron Bay NSW 2481 Return point: You will be returned to the Byron Bay Dive Centre

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative date and time or full refund.
Not recommended for participants with serious medical conditions.
Not recommended for participants with back problems.
All participants will be required to complete a health questionnaire prior to snorkeling. Some pre-existing medical conditions may prevent you from snorkeling, please consult your doctor.
Near public transportation

Subject to favorable weather conditions. If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date and time or full refund.
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please note that all snorkel tour participants MUST be able to swim at least 25m unassisted and be comfortable in the water.
We do not provide life jackets to snorkel in. Life Jackets are on the boat for emergencies only.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 3 full days before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

4.5

113 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 113 reviews

Great experience

Yuan_L, Jan 2023

Saw a turtle, lots of sharks and an eagle ray! Very memorable experience. The boat ride was bumpy. Do bring sea sickness medication

Good snorkeling

Johan_L, Jan 2023

Nice arrangement. Not three hours though but still enough. 2,5 all in all. One hour snorkeling. Saw sharks, turtles and manta-ray. Good value!

Once in a life time trip

Seattle_S, Feb 2022

Boat ride was really good. Water was warm and saw a lot of marine life. Staff were really friendly and meet everyone’s needs, highly recommend great trip if you love the water

Very professional team, a lovely experience

Kate_E, Dec 2021

A very professional team that supports you every step of the way ❤️easy going and accommodating attitude. Thanks😊

Amazing and breathtaking!

Regina_Bruce, May 2021

Everyone there was really considerate and professional. The guy (I think he is French) who helped us with our lesson prior was very nice. Even out at Julian Rocks, he showed us where the turtles were, helped us when we got carried away and took our photos which I'm sure is a pain. Thanks heaps! Julian Rocks was amazing. Worth it!!

One of the best things to do in Byron Bay!!!!

Dorle_M, Apr 2021

So good to be out on the water and then get into the water to experience this pristine part of the world!

Great day well worth the price

Finley_R, Mar 2021

Swimming with leopard sharks/ wobbegongs/ sting rays/ multiple types of sea turtle and countless fish. Our guide was excellent, he had a great eye for the sea life and you could tell he really loved his job which was great. The guy on the boat was also funny and friendly. All round a very professional and enjoyable experience. Thursday 11th 10.30 session.

Amazing experience

Natalie_P, Mar 2021

Absolutely loved this experience. Staff were amazing, very helpful. Great explanation of what was happening. The snorkeling was beautiful. Would do it again !!!

Wonderful experience!!!

Vesna_S, Dec 2020

Did the tour with a friend and we both had wonderful time. Everything was well organised, trip on the boat was fun and safe and once we arrived there was so much to see: turtles, sharks, colourful little fishes and rays. Worth doing it and most important I did not feel we disturbed them in any way. The highlight was one of the turtles coming to the surface for a breath and then just swimming around us for a while. Highly recommend.

Incredible and memorable experience

Matthew_G, Nov 2020

Seeing multiple turtles, stingrays, sharks and beautiful fishes. The instructor Elly was absolutely amazing she explained different types of coral and animals and explained a little bit of information about them. It was truly an amazing experience. Worth going there.

Great would do it again and again

Natalie_S, Oct 2020

Best snorkel experience ever. Team is professional. Don’t like the tons of emails to give a review without option to unsubscribe

Must Do

Clayton_W, Oct 2020

Great array of wildlife, calm conditions, clear instructions from crew. Highlight was hearing whales sing underwater and swimming with turtles!

Turtles

Julie_B, July 2020

Great day trip. Such a dream swimming with the turtles. The crew were very helpful and friendly. The manta rays incredible.

Amazing snorkel!

Katie_H, Mar 2020

I thought this trip was fantastic! The guides were very helpful and supportive yet chilled. The snorkel itself was brilliant. There was so much marine life at Julian rocks; I saw leopard sharks, turtles, a ray and lots of brightly coloured fish. Fantastic experience!

Great experience !!

Lauriane_F, Mar 2020

I loved my first experience in snorkeling ! Around one hour in the water, the preparation with equipment is a little bit long. After you take a van to go on the beach and hop on the boat. 15 minutes after you’re in the water. I saw turtles, little nice sharks and a lot of different beautiful fishes. Just a bit disappointed, I hired a camera to take pictures under the water for $50 but I had a problem with and I couldn’t take photos for about 20 minutes. I was annoying but the team was very nice and very professional. They tried to fix it so I could take photos again and they refund me the total amount and gave me a card with my all pictures. Very nice, I really appreciated ! Thanks again at the all team.

Turtle and dolphins

Rosemarie_H, Feb 2020

Great trip, hate having to fill in forms. Mber know know know mmm month Nmbnb Chg vbc ygbjjknj jgv nkhh

Great experience!!!!!!

Lukas_B, Dec 2019

Hi there, the experience to snorkel at julians Rock (byron bay diving center) was just great! We discovered turtles, sharks and stingrays within the first 15 Minutes. The guide and the whole team have been helpful and very friendly. We were snorkeling with only a group of 10 people and it has been one of the best snorkeling experiences of my life! Thank you guys!

First time snorkeling; loved it!

Don P, July 2019

In Australia for the first time and wanted to try snorkeling. The dive centre in Byron Bay was awesome! A brief lesson beforehand provided the basics and from there it was a great time. The water was so clear and I can't even remember all the fish and sea life I saw. Turtles, starfish, large blue fish of some sort, black, yellow, etc. So incredible. Also a pod of dolphins on the way to the rocks. Really nicely done.

Very fun, very close to fish, saw a...

Houqiu L, May 2018

Very fun, very close to fish, saw a grey house shark and a turtle, worth the price!

One of the best snorkeling trips my...

Brenden W, Jan 2018

One of the best snorkeling trips my wife and I have done. Sharks, rays and turtles all on the one snorkel. Excellent!