How lovely is Shelly Beach in Manly? There’s a whole post written about Shelly Beach with all the info you need to plan a visit here.

Today I’m going to show you some photos and video from underwater. Shelly Beach is one of the easiest places to snorkel with children in Sydney (other top spots are Balmoral Beach and Clovelly Beach and Baths.)

snorkel manly shelly beach — *A shoal of yellowtail scud off Shelly Beach*

NB Americans might have googled for ‘Manly snorkeling’ or ‘Shelly Beach snorkeling’ with just the one l… but we Aussies spell it with two lls… hope it doesn’t look too weird to you.

snorkel at shelly beach sydney — *Eastern Blue Groper off Shelly Beach*

Did you know you can go on a guided snorkelling trip at Manly and Shelly Beach? That’s a great way for beginners to get started.

I’m a bit concerned that these photos and the video might put little children off though. There really are a lot of fish around Shelly. But you won’t always see the big ones like wobbegongs and rays.

If your children are little, or nervous, then they can stay closer to shore and just see the little fishies.

snorkel shelly beach many — Small fish amongst the seaweed at Shelly Beach

snorkel shelly beach many sydney — Sponges on the rocks off Shelly Beach

On a day when the ocean is clear, you can joyfully snorkel far out and see 10 – 20 metres down into deep water and there are all sorts of marvellous creatures of the deep out there.