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 one summer at Jervis Bay I really wanted the whole family to snorkel together and to have a bit of an adventure.

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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.

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.

Jervis bay snorkel boat trip kids
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).

jervis bay snorkel trip by boat
The water was so clear

Our first stop was called Boat Harbour, a very sheltered bay.

And it was teeming with sea life.

Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
Say hello to a friendly stingray
 
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
And here’s an odd creature
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
Who can name this particular creature of the deep?
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
And here’s the local big blue groper
 
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
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

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.

Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
See the second cave on the left, we went into it to go through an exhilerating swim-through
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
Teen17 knows no fear and was straight in there
 
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
I think that’s me about to be swooshed through the tunnel
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
Here comes Teen15 cruising along calmy
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
The view ahead from underwater was stunning
 
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
If you can spot the figure on the left, you’ll see how deep the water is
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
There was a crystal clear and very calm bowl at the end of the tunnel – I love this shot
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids fiddler rays
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?
 
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids
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
Snorkel trip jervis bay with kids stingray
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.

 

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16 Comments

  1. says: jess

    oh the cave looks awesome! I’m so adding this to my list of things to do.

    My husband has asthma so is a bit sad that he’s not allowed to dive. This looks like something we could do that is little bit more exciting then just snorkeling.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Sounds like me, I had ear operations and was told never to dive again so I have to get my underwater thrills in different ways now. This was a bit special, and the boat goes where the weather dictates, so I don’t know how often they get to this cave, but it seemed sheltered.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Me too, our couple of weeks there was great. Must plan next weekend down there, hubby home next week so we’ll go in Feb, much to disgust of the kids who hate missing sport. Pah!

    1. says: Seana Smith

      You must go, it’s a gorgeous place. We’ve got to know it very well as we go there a lot, lovely to feel a place is well known and to discover it’s hidden secrets.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      It’s a real treat… I bet my teenagers will leave me behind for adventures of their own soon enough – then I’ll be envious of them.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Yes, Danielle, the world has opened up quite a lot recently and it suits me very well to get some more adventure into our lives.

  2. says: Rhianna

    Looks like so much fun. We recently went snorkelling as a family on Ningaloo, was the best time. Will certainly look into this when we are in the area. Thanks for sharing

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Oh Ningaloo, that fabulous reef with the even more fab name. Hubby and I went there when we were expencting Teen17… your trip is amazing – envious.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Oh yes, there’s nowehere like the reef… well, any reef. My next post will probably be about the trip we went on toGBR last year. I’ve been meaning to post that fr ages, bit intimidated by how many photos we took, will take me hours and hours to sort them and choose. Thanks for visiting.

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