Snorkeling with Turtles in Australia: Our 8 Top Picks

1.Gold Coast: Snorkel with Turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 187 reviews · 2h 30m · from $91Our pick

From Fingal Head, you’ll ride by boat to Cook Island Aquatic Reserve, also known as Joongarra Narrian, for about 90 minutes of guided snorkeling. Marine biologist guides such as Kai, Tayla, Jill, Jess, and Ree help you spot turtles, rays, leopard sharks, wobbegongs, octopuses, and reef fish. You must be comfortable swimming in open water.

“Awesome time saw lots of turtles great guides and highly skilled captain. Super friendly and helpful service”

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2.Half Day Snorkel 2.5hr Turtle Tour on the Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 169 reviews · from $104Top rated

Join Ken, Janine, and the Cape Immersion crew for a relaxed 2.5-hour boat trip from Exmouth. With no more than 12 people aboard, you’ll visit carefully chosen Ningaloo Reef sites, looking for turtles, reef sharks, rays, dolphins, dugongs, octopus, and bright reef fish. Snorkeling gear and snacks are included, but bring or hire a wetsuit.

“A relaxed, no fuss snorkelling adventure. Great staff and incredible snorkelling at two very different spots in the Ningaloo reef. We saw turtles, reef sharks, an octopus, a huge stingray and of course plenty of beautiful fish. Highly recommend this tour to complement your snorkelling experiences in Exmouth.”

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3.Turtle Tour – Ningaloo Reef Half Day Sea Kayak and Snorkel Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 164 reviews · from $107

Join Exmouth Adventure Co for a 3.5-hour kayak and snorkeling trip in Ningaloo Reef’s Bundegi Sanctuary Zone. Guides such as Julia, Nick, Kayleigh, and Neil lead small groups of up to eight to turtle-rich shallows and kayak-only snorkeling sites. Transfers, equipment, snacks, and tour photos are included.

“the tour guide was super friendly and knew loads of facts about wildlife and flora around the area. very funny and helpful aswell. we saw heaps of turtles, some reef sharks and beautiful fish, a sting ray, crystal clear waters..”

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4.Snorkel with Turtles Gold Coast

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 159 reviews · from $114

From Chinderah, join a maximum of 12 people for a 20-minute boat ride to Cook Island Aquatic Reserve. Guides such as Connor, Cass, Lachy, Will, and Gemma help you spot turtles, rays, fish, and sometimes dolphins or whales. Snorkeling gear and fresh fruit are included, but you must be able to swim.

“Simply an incredible experience, the water was so clear and just bursting with life, we saw dolphins plus plenty of turtles, and even a pair of Humpback whales on the way back to shore. The guides Lockie and Will were so knowledgeable about everything and helped make the experience even better! Cannot recommend highly enough, amazing!”

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5.Mooloolaba: Snorkel with Turtles Mudjimba Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 115 reviews · 2 hours · from $63Best value

Join Sunreef Mooloolaba for a guided snorkel at Mudjimba Island, about 15 minutes by boat from the river. You will wear supplied fins, mask, snorkel, and a 5 mm wetsuit while guides such as Steph and Amy help you spot turtles, wobbegong sharks, rays, reef fish, and coral. Allow 2 to 2.5 hours in total.

“Loved it! Saw at least 4 turtles, the guides were funny and super helpful and everything was very nice. Would 100% recommend!”

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6.Gold Coast: Snorkeling with Turtles Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 98 reviews · 3 hours · from $105

Cruise from Chinderah to Cook Island, about 600 metres off Fingal Head, for a guided snorkel with turtles, colorful fish, rays, and other marine life. You’ll receive a wetsuit and full snorkel kit, safety help in the water, and commentary from guides such as Gemma and Lachlan. The boat holds no more than 12 passengers.

“A most enjoyable experience. Lachie and Jemma were superb guides who were friendly, enthusiastic, demonstrating a keen love for the environment and knowledge about the area, turtles and dolphins. We saw a huge family of dolphins in the morning going to snorkelling area. I was also surprised as to how many turtles there were and their size as well as overwhelmed by the amount of colourful fish life. A most enjoyable experience!”

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7.Mooloolaba: Turtle Snorkel & Swim at Mudjimba Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 61 reviews · 2 hours · from $84

Join The Pressure Project from The Wharf Mooloolaba for a small-group boat trip to Mudjimba Island. You’ll receive gear, a safety briefing, and guidance from an experienced freediver. Expect turtles, fish, sheltered water, and a short introduction to local Dreamtime history. Groups average four people and never exceed eight.

“Great day with really good guides Excellent value for money”

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8.Half Day Turtle Kayak & Snorkel Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 35 reviews · 4 hours · from $106

Paddle the sheltered Bundegi Sanctuary Zone in a double kayak, watching for turtles, rays, baby reef sharks, osprey, and fish. Then snorkel coral gardens from a kayak-only mooring. Exmouth Adventure Co. guides such as Kim, Kolton, Jules, Neri, Nick, and Clayton provide gear, instruction, snacks, photos, and hotel pickup.

“We loved the time spent with our guide out and about! Definitely recommend it 😍 thank you Kolton!😍 Hope I spelt your name right! Surely was NOT Stephen!😜🤪😁”

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