Is it safe to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef?

Snorkeling is an extremely safe activity, especially if you take all of the correct precautions and listen to your own body whilst swimming. Below are some basic Great Barrier Reef snorkeling safety tips. Fitness. Make sure you only snorkel / swim to your fitness levels.



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It's not hard and you don't need to be a great swimmer. My husband works on a snorkelling boat on the Great Barrier Reef and sees hundreds of snorkellers, many are beginners. Here are a few tips from a pro. Keep calm, go slowly, control your breathing, don't panic.

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Avoiding stinger season When you snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef during May to October you will avoid the peak stinger season. This is where box jellyfish and irukandji jellyfish are around. These jellyfish are around all year, they are more common during the warmer months.

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If you're not a confident swimmer, that's ok! We have a number of ways to assist you experience the reef. These include our Snorkelling Safety Officers who's primary focus is to assist you no matter your level of confidence in the water. We have buoyancy vests and flotation aids available.

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Reef depth ranges anywhere from five to 30 metres, as the reefs are known to drop away suddenly in certain places. How deep you can go will depend on your diver certification (if you have one).

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It is recommended to wear a stinger suit as a precaution for any water activities in the Great Barrier Reef. Even if the chances of being stung is low, we wouldn't want anything life-threatening to be happening to you! Best you grab a stinger suit and explore the Great Barrier Reef waters safely.

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There are a couple of other sharks that inhabit the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef that can potentially be more of a threat to humans but are not commonly encountered. These are the Tiger Shark, a larger grey shark with tiger-like markings on the side of its body.

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What You Can Expect. The vast expanse of the Great Barrier Reef means there is so much to see and learn about during a snorkelling trip, and there are hundreds of different reefs to explore. Anyone can get stuck into it, as long as they can swim and have fairly good fitness levels as it can be quite strenuous.

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