Explore An Underwater Wonderland

Discover a breathtaking underwater wonderland adorned in colourful coral formations and abounding in majestic marine life at Lady Elliot Island, on the southern tip of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.

Known as ‘the home of the manta ray’ (and many other magnificent marine animals), Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort is perched amidst the pristine waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 80 kilometres off the Queensland coast. This area was declared a ‘Green No Take Zone’ in 2004, and over the past 20 years, many larger fish species have started to reemerge in the area. This highly protected marine environment surrounding this spectacular coral cay provides an idyllic haven for 1,200 species of marine life and is known for its abundance of turtles, dolphins, whales (in season), fish, healthy corals and of course an astounding aggregation of over 1000 manta rays.

Join us as we escort you on a guided audio tour of Lady Elliot Island’s most stunning snorkel sites. We’ll guide you on an epic aquatic adventure, as we dive beneath the surface to discover a magical underwater world. Along the way, we’ll offer insights to deliver a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich biodiversity of this unspoilt section of the world’s largest coral reef system.

Throughout this immersive audio guided tour, we’ll also introduce you to some of the magnificent marine ‘regulars’ who love to glide about our reefs, including Elvis the loggerhead turtle, Bubbles the bottlenose dolphin, and Inspector Clouseau, the world’s only pink-bellied manta ray.

We recommend reviewing our self-guided shore snorkelling zones that can be found in your in-room compendium or the information breezeway sign before venturing out into the water. Our Guest Activities Team are also available daily and can assist you with any questions regarding weather, tides, and current. Make sure to take advantage of their local knowledge when planning your snorkelling adventures! Listen through to the end of this audio guide for a deep dive into safe snorkelling practices, information on the resorts snorkelling waivers and snorkel level classifications.

Of course, listening to an audio guide underwater isn’t always practical (or advisable)! So, we suggest you take some time out to virtually explore before plunging in. Our audio guide is the perfect companion on your travels to Lady Elliot Island, or with sunset cocktails on your arrival.

Simply sit back, relax, and prepare to make a splash in our magnificent marine playground!

The Lagoon

We’ll begin by exploring the sheltered shallows of The Lagoon – our most accessible and most diverse snorkel site.

The Lagoon lies directly in front of the resort. You can literally step out of your room and enter the lagoon within metres of your accommodation. Its calm conditions classify it as a green snorkel Zone, suitable for all levels of ability, from novice to advanced snorkellers.

This beautiful tidal lagoon is best snorkelled two hours either side of high tide, when the water reaches a depth of up to approximately 2 metres. This spectacular sprawling site is carpeted by a huge, low-lying coral outcrop, and fringed by the deeper waters of the eastern coral drop-off. The corals here are different from those found on the western side of the island. Staghorn corals, brain corals and mushroom corals appear as if they’ve been neatly cropped by a lawnmower, only growing as high as the tide is low. The lagoon serves as an aquatic playground for a diverse range of magnificent marine life, including green turtles, hawksbill turtles, reef sharks, lagoon rays, octopus, sea anemones, starfish and a multitudes of colourful reef fish. Brilliantly coloured blue, green and brown clam species can be found burrowing into the reef.

If you head out into the lagoon for about 100 metres, you’ll arrive at a green flag marking Channel One. Gorgeous green turtles regularly gather around this natural cleaning station, and unforgettable up-close turtle encounters are common.

Blondie the green turtle is a regular here. Most green turtles have brown pigmentation on their shells and face, but Blondie is named for her unique light colouring, which makes her stand out from the crowd. If she were human, she’d no doubt be a natural blonde!

Either side of high tide, you are welcome to self-snorkel these pristine waters at your leisure. At low tide, you can reef walk to discover the lagoon’s smaller inhabitants playing hide-and-seek amongst the coral crevices.

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse snorkel site is on the southwestern side of the island and falls within the blue snorkel zone, suitable for intermediate and advanced snorkellers. You can snorkel here with a buddy or join a guided snorkel tour of the area.

Beach entry to this magical snorkel site is at the island’s 150-year-old heritage-listed lighthouse. Near high tide, you can snorkel straight off the beach. At low tide, you’ll need to walk approximately 30 metres out across a reef flat so reef walking shoes are a must. Here you can sit and fit your fins, then leave your shoes in the basket provided.

Plunge into a keyway created by coral ledges to the left and right, with a depth of around 6 metres. You’ll find predominantly hard coral species here, including the rounded shapes of plate coral and the antler-like stems of staghorn species. The coral coverage is amazing – at almost 100 per cent!

About 10 to 15 metres out you’ll reach a blue flagged resting station and snorkel trail line which extends to the right (or north). This line of white floats joined by rope provides a reassuring aide for snorkellers still building their confidence. With a few small breaks, it can be followed most of the way along the western side of the island. The depth along this line is about 8-10 metres. Here the water teems with a rainbow of colourful reef fish, including the brilliant blue hues of parrot fish. Large groupers also hang out here under the coral ledges.

About half-way along the lighthouse snorkel trail you’ll reach a sandy patch which is home to cow-tail rays, resting turtles and an abundance of schooling blue-green chromis fish!

One of the legendary ‘stars’ of the Lighthouse snorkel zone is Elvis. Elvis is a mature male loggerhead turtle, who sadly sustained an injury a few years ago to his front left flipper. Since his injury, this old fellow has chosen to remain here, gliding around the Lighthouse keyway. Loggerhead turtles are aptly named for their broad, muscular head and strong jaw.

The Lighthouse Bommies

If you were to swim straight out from the Lighthouse keyway for about 150 metres, you’d enter the Orange Outer Edge snorkel zone. This deeper section of water lining the outer edge of the Lighthouse and Coral Gardens snorkelling sites is recommended only for advanced snorkellers, but can be visited by those with less experience on a guided snorkel boat tour.

The water here is around 15 to 17 metres deep and is the home of some of our larger coral bommies and marine life, including our beautiful manta rays. The term ‘bommie’ is short for the Indigenous Australian word ‘Bombora,’ meaning coral outcrop. The bommies are like a day spa for our majestic manta ray population, who congregate here between May to August to have their gills cleaned and parasites removed by cleaner wrasse who dwell in the nooks and crannies of the coral bommies.

As they go about their cleansing rituals, these graceful gentle giants put on a magnificent display of acrobatics, as they glide and swoop back and forth in a mesmerising ocean dance. You may even be lucky enough to encounter Elvis’s co-star, Inspector Clouseau, named in honour of the popular Pink Panther series. This rare manta ray is easily identified by his beautiful fuchsia pink belly. Current research suggests he’s the only one of his kind in the world! Any encounter with a manta is truly unforgettable, but a meeting with Inspector Clouseau is a magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Slender garden eels pop their heads out of the sand, while cowtail rays and shovel nosed sharks try to hide under it! Trevally will dart in and out of the schools of glassfish that cover the bommies, and green turtles can sometimes be seen resting in the coral beds. Sharks can be spotted cruising throughout these deeper waters, and if you’re lucky you may encounter one of our local tiger sharks!

The Coral Gardens

Our final site, the Coral Gardens, is located on the northwestern side of the island, just north of the Lighthouse snorkel zone. It lies within the yellow snorkel zone, considered suitable for those with intermediate and advanced snorkelling skills. Novice and conditional snorkellers can explore the area on a guided snorkel boat tour, or once they’ve achieved confidence. Entry to the site is about a six-minute walk from the resort, adjacent to the northern end of the airstrip.

Much like the Lighthouse, entry to the Coral Gardens can be made directly off the beach at high tide, or via a short reef walk to the snorkel station at low tide with your reef walking shoes. Here you can sit and fit your fins, then leave your shoes in the basket provided. On entry, turn left (or south) towards the lighthouse to find a yellow flag and resting station and the start of the snorkel trail line. Follow the line along the coral shelf at a depth of around 6 to 10 metres to discover two stunning coral arch formations which you can swim through. These exquisite outcrops frame a natural aquarium swarming with schools of big-eye trevally, yellow-tailed fusiliers, vibrant surgeon fish, coral trout and even unicorn fish! Small striped barracuda will school around snorkellers and divers for some amazing photos.

The coral here is like species found slightly further south at the Lighthouse site. Most are coloured in earthy tones of browns, caramels and creams, presenting a perfect picture of health for hard corals on the southern Great Barrier Reef.

While cruising the Coral Gardens, you may be lucky enough to encounter our friend Bubbles the bottlenose dolphin. This cheeky, playful and intelligent animal is regularly sighted in the area, frolicking care-free in his underwater playground. His outgoing and friendly nature have made him somewhat of a local icon on Lady Elliot Island, and he is often spotted chasing trevally or interacting in the water with island guests.

Guided Snorkel Tours and Safaris

Along with its incredible self-guided snorkel experiences straight off the beach, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort also offers all resort guests one complimentary Glass Bottom Boat/Snorkel Tour per person.

These tours deliver a fully immersive and educational introduction to the Great Barrier Reef and are perfect for all levels of snorkel ability. You will board our custom-built vessel for a full safety briefing, followed by twenty minutes of expert audio commentary about the coral and marine creatures that may be visible through the viewing panels of the glass bottom boat enroute to our snorkel site. Then you’ll be offered the opportunity to explore the wonders of our underwater world during a 30-minute snorkel adventure. These tours last approximately 90 minutes and depart daily depending on tides and weather conditions.

A longer Snorkel Safari Tour is available for more advanced snorkellers comfortable venturing to the outer reef in search of larger marine life including sharks, turtles and manta rays.

This advanced option involves a full hour of snorkelling, potentially at multiple sites around the island. A reasonable level of fitness is recommended, and children under 15 years must be accompanied by an adult.

At night you can venture out on the reef on a Night Glass Bottom Boat Tour. The reef truly comes alive at night, and you can discover it without getting your feet wet! Watch in awe as the coral polyps awaken and with the use of UV lights you can experience a whole different perspective on this eco-system.

Please note, for your safety, reef walking shoes (with closed-in toes) or crocs are required for all glass bottom boat and snorkelling tours.

Accessibility – Snorkelling

The remoteness and pristine natural environment of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort are undeniably a significant part of its appeal. However, these major drawcards may present some impact on the island’s accessibility. A description of the general accessibility of the island is included in our ‘Lady Elliot Island – Overview’ audio guide, available on our website at ladyelliotisland.com.au. The following information primarily focuses on accessibility of the snorkelling experience.

Snorkelling can be a strenuous physical activity, even in calm water, and can present additional health and safety risks for some guests. Conditions will vary significantly depending on tide, wind, current and ocean swell at your snorkel site. It is therefore very important that you inform our team of any concerns about medical conditions (past or current) including your physical capacity to snorkel. And remember to always snorkel with a buddy, irrespective of your level of experience or ability.

Upon arrival on Lady Elliot Island, you are required to complete a snorkel questionnaire on an iPad, this questionnaire will determine a snorkel level which will assist our team in supplying appropriate snorkel aids on our tours. You will be asked to read our Guidelines for Recreational Snorkellers Declaration and sign our Snorkel Risk Management Assessment form. All these documents provide relevant and important information relating to your past and current experience, including your medical history, to assist our trained and qualified snorkel team to ensure your safety at all times.

The iPad questionnaire can be completed on your own device, please be sure to scan the QR code provided in the in-flight booklet during your scenic flight to the island. If you are unable to complete the form yourself due to accessibility, one of our team members can ask you the questions and complete it on your behalf. Once completed, you’ll receive an email advising your snorkelling classification and tips for safe snorkelling.

The snorkel sites mentioned in this audio guide are all accessible directly off the beach, or via the guided snorkel boat tours and safaris, involving a short glass bottom boat ride from the resort. All boating activities require boarding of the vessel directly off the beach, as there are no jetties on the island. Generally, this is achieved via a ramp which is lowered onto the sand. However, at low tide guests may be required to walk across shallow reef to access the vessel. The long boat access ramps have handrails extend from the front of the vessel. The ramp is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and these are best boarded at high tide. Glass viewing panels run down the centre of the hull, and bench seating lines the boat’s edges, with limited floor room to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. Entry to the water is via platforms positioned at water level on the front and back of the boat. Wheelchair users or guests with limited mobility may need some assistance with water entry and exit.