Level: Resort nearby
This spot has been added by
Last updated on October 7, 2022
Home to one of the most beautiful beaches on Australia’s east coast, Fitzroy Island welcomes hundreds of day trippers from Cairns. Although the underwater visibility around the island (located near the coast) can be poor, don’t hesitate to explore its seabed if you’re spending the day there. Hundreds of reef fish species, sea turtles, and small sharks live on the reefs lining the island.
Cairns is the main departure point for boats to Fitzroy Island. The boat trip takes about 45 minutes. Several companies offer boat rides to the island (about AUD80 per person, with various schedules available).
Once on Fitzroy Island, you are free to explore the island as you want. It is also possible to stay on the island at Fitzroy Island Resort or at the campgrounds. In this case, your transfer can be organized by the hotel.
There are two snorkeling areas around Fitzroy Island. The Nudey Beach area (zone 1 on the map) can be explored at high tide as well as at low tide. The water entrance is from the beach. However, snorkeling the dock area (zone 2 on the map) is tide-dependant.
In fact, at low tide, it is often impossible to get into the water without stepping on the coral (which is absolutely forbidden and dangerous). Make sure to check the tide times.
There are two areas recommended for snorkeling Fitzroy Island:
1/ The small coral reef that borders the rocks at the north end of Nudey Beach (zone 1 on the map). The beach is reached reach in a fifteen-minute walk from the dock (well signposted). Enter the water near the rocks. The reef starts just a few meters from the edge.
The reef is overall healthy with beautiful patches of hard corals forming a small drop-off (↕3-9ft/1-3m). Parrotfish, butterflyfish, angelfish and wrasses are common at reef, which is sometimes visited by small whitetip sharks.
2/ The reef which faces the main beach of the island east of the dock, about opposite the resort (zone 2 on the map). If you find the beach to be less pleasant, this spot is the best place around the island to swim with green sea turtles. They are most often found in areas where depths are 6 to 12 ft/2 to 4m, at the reef edge (see map).
This spot has some coral that forms in places of pretty slopes where sixbar angelfish, schools of snappers, and pairs of spinefoot abound.
The underwater visibility at Fitzroy Island is generally average and can worsen after heavy rains. As in all of Queensland, wearing a sting suit is recommended, especially during the summer months.
The Fitzroy Island Resort (which also manages the nearby campground) is the only accommodation on the island. There is a restaurant that is open to visitors during the day.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
