The Geoffrey and Nelly Bay

An obvious activity for anyone visiting Magnetic Island, snorkelling the beautiful blue waters of the island is an absolute must. Two of the best bays for doing this that provide safe waters and varying difficulty trails, Nelson Bay and Geoffrey Bay will have you exploring beautiful corals, encountering an assortment of animal species and more all just off of the beach. Nelly Bay is more suited for beginners and offers access only 100 metres from the beach. With a reef rich in boulder coral, cauliflower coral, lettuce coral, staghorn coral and more, this reef offers great sightseeing abilities without having to travelling a substantial distance. Simply follow the five white surface floats which outline the trail and you’ll find this great reef. Best of all, if you start to feel a little tired, these buoys can also be used for floatation to give you a break. Geoffrey Bay on the other hand is suited to the more confident swimmers as it is located further offshore. Approximately 400 metres from the beach, you’ll located the Geoffrey bay snorkelling trail complete with an array of fish species and the Moltke wreck. For those feeling really confident and up for an adventure, there is even an engine block and aeroplane propeller from WWII located in the waters that makes for great exploration. Please note that there are two coloured buoys that surround the snorkelling trails. The white buoys show where the trail starts and finish and indicate a safe area to snorkel. The yellow buoys however should be avoided as these are baited shark lines and are located a little further out to sea.