Living in Melbourne you have the rare chance to explore a rich wonder-world of sea creatures at some of the most protected snorkelling sites on Earth. I’ve put together this beginners guide to help you. The book A Beginners Guide to Snorkelling in Melbourne is a guide for the beginner keen to learn to snorkel in Melbourne.
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Top five things for beginners to learn about snorkelling in Melbourne
1. Subscribe to the mailing list
I regularly post what we’re finding. Most of what we see is only from a small handful of locations. Even the most ardent snorkelers will repeatedly go to three or four favourite locations. These locations are places where you can spend a lifetime visiting in different seasons and still see new animals every single time. The following sites are covered in detail in the book A Beginners Guide to Snorkelling in Melbourne. These are among the safest and most sheltered places and I’ve included mud-maps to help you understand how to get there, where to park and where to enter the water. They are also mostly marine parks too, which means abundant marine life:
- Jawbone marine sanctuary;
- Ricketts Point marine sanctuary;
- Mushroom Reef marine sanctuary;
- Blairgowrie Pier; and
- Portsea Pier.
2. Choose based on wind direction
Choosing which location to visit on any given day can be done with a bit of knowledge about wind forecasts. Hence, there is no need for technical websites and advice – I cover this simply in the book.
★ TOP TIP You will quickly become overwhelmed with advice in forums. You can afford to ignore most of this and learn one simple rule about wind direction.
If you are looking for more detailed advice, here is a PDF I wrote. Though if you’re a beginner, this is likely to make your head spin. And to be honest, the extra knowledge makes little difference. Most of what you need to know is in the book.
Luckily Port Phillip Bay has an all-round protected coastline so there is almost always somewhere sheltered enough for a dip.
3. What gear do I need?
To begin with, you only need a mask, snorkel, fins and a wetsuit. Other gear is optional. Anyone can snorkel and while there are lots of advanced ways to do it, stick to shallow water and do the basics. This is all you need to see most of the wildlife that people report. But it’s not just about what you use though, it’s also knowing how to use it. Therefore, in the book, I cover subjects like mask fogging and leaking. These are among the commonest things people have problems with and are easy enough to fix with the right advice.
★ TOP TIP Buy a simple setup … mask, snorkel and fins and a wetsuit. You can find a lot of this cheap on Facebook marketplace.
4. Learn some basic identification
Port Phillip Bay has many hundreds of species. In the book, I’ve picked 30 common animals, that you have a very good chance of seeing in your first year of snorkelling. There’s a checklist where you can tick these off. This is more than enough to give you a solid grounding in the types of fish and other life you can expect to find in the shallows.
★ TOP TIP A cheap underwater camera (e.g. GoPro) will suit you to start with. You can review footage and have fun identifying things.
5. Take your time and swim very shallow
Anyone can snorkel, from young kids to adults. So, you don’t need to duck-dive (though I’ve provided some standard advice in the book) as almost everything can be seen just below the surface. In actual fact, most of what I see is in the top 30cm or so. You will read about people ‘free-diving’ or calling it diving but snorkelling is just what it says it is. If you have a snorkel in your mouth and your head underwater, you will see amazing things every time!
★ TOP TIP Stay shallow and go very slow. Find a nice patch of reef, sit motionless and watch for movement. Animals will start to come out and you’ll see ten times more than anyone who decides to swim all of the time.
If you’re nervous at first that’s normal. Your confidence will build. Most of all relax, go slow and have fun. This way you will always discover something new and exciting. Remember, if conditions aren’t perfect all the time, it makes the good times even sweeter.
Have fun learning to snorkel in Melbourne!
Learning is half the fun. One of the delights of snorkelling is allowing nature’s spectacles to quietly unfold and for you to become part of the ocean. It’s the unexpected feelings and encounters with unusual and surprising wildlife that makes snorkelling most rewarding of all. Most of all, just have fun!
Cheers,
Simon Mustoe
Read more on my Melbourne pages.
