Snorkeling during 12 hour layover in Sydney (6a-6p) May, 2010 - would it be worth it?

May 4, 2010 - I'll be landing on a flight from Brisbane during the early morning 6:30am or so in Sydney and won't have to leave for my flight to Honolulu until 6pm. I obviously can't go scuba diving but I do like cold water spots, is there any good snorkeling and any operators that would be a good choice for my one day in town?

I'll be coming back from a 10 night liveaboard trip on the Peter Hughes Star Dancer in Papua New Guinea. I won't really have a thick wetsuit so I would be looking to rent.

Would any of this be worth my time? Or shall I spend my 10 hours or so doing something else? (I'm flexible...and I've never been to Sydney or Australia for that matter).

I guess it would depend on how desperate you are to get wet!!

The water temps i have for last May are 20C (68F).

I have never snorkelled but I know people who have at Bare Island and Kurnell (these are both very popular dive sites), both of which are not too far from the Airport.

There are probably better places to snorkel, but i dont really know of any. Snorkelling is not an organised activity, but you could contact some of the local dive shops for more information.

Sydney Dive Academy Home Page - Sydney Dive Academy

Scuba Diving Sydney Australia| Padi Learn to Dive Courses,PADI scuba diving course, Scuba Gear

Scuba Diving Sydney - Aquatic Explorers

ShiprockDive.com | Shiprock Dive

Personally I would probably skip the snorkelling as i dont think it is all that good and do something else, but that is just me.

I'm still interested in hearing everyone's input, but honestly I'd much rather scuba dive, especially since you have to wear such a thick suit anyway, and since that's not an option on a short 12 hour layover, I will most likely tour Sydney Harbor and hit some of the bars and cafe's in the tourist district.

But if anyone else can recommend a scuba/snorkel related alternative that would fit my schedule, I'm all ears!

Thanks!

You could visit the aquarium at Darling Harbour. Or the one at Manly (catch a ferry across). You can snorkel around the swimming enclosure at Manly near the aquarium. There are seahorses there, but I don't know if you can see them from the surface.

There are heaps of great snorkeling locations around Sydney. Generally May is a good time of year for visibility and the water is still warmish (20C). Shelly Beach in Manly, Fairy Bower, Gordons bay are all good spots. As we speak I am putting the final touches on a DVD about diving and snorkeling in Sydney...the intro is here:

DVD should be on sale in about 10 days time but at this stage it's only PAL, but the trailer will give you idea of what you can see. I live locally in Manly if you want more specific information.

Jon

Hi guys,

There are a few good snorkelling spots that are relatively close to the airport. We are located about a 15 minute taxi ride from the Airport so a good option if you are looking at actually getting wet while you are here.

If you wanted, we could arrange a private snorkelling safari out to 2 different locations. High tide while you are here is at:12:48 (Mid Day)1.19

So depending on when you arrive you could jump in at Ship Rock around 12:25 - 1:15pm as this amazing site is tidal ( Check out: ShipRock - Abyss Scuba Diving ) This would give you enough time to go to another site and swim there for a while. Either before or after depending on when your departure is.

If you want to do some of your own research on Sydney Snorkeling Sites check out: Sydney Dive Sites for a list of some of the more popular areas.

Cheers, and i hope you enjoy your trip to PNG. I have been there 3 times and it is mind blowing!

Sorry.. Posted the same thing twice... ??