Duck Rock - Rottnest Island snorkelling

Duck Rock is a reef-fringed rock just off Bathurst Point, beside the lighthouse at the island's north-east tip and an easy walk from the Thomson Bay settlement. The reef flat around it is riddled with medium-sized caves, ledges and swim-throughs. This is also where the schooner Transit was wrecked in 1842 - the first recorded wreck at Rottnest - and an underwater plinth marks her approximate position, though little of the ship remains.

The north-eastern side of the rock is the richest part. Scalyfin (including tiny, brightly coloured juveniles), western foxfish, red-lipped morwong and several kinds of wrasse shelter in the nooks and crannies, and schools of buffalo bream are common. On top of the reef flat look for small colonies of pink pocillopora coral. The southern side is quieter, and the seagrass and sand on the way back to shore are good places to spot stingrays, King George whiting and dusky morwong.

Boats pass close by, so stay on the shoreward side of the reef and use a dive flag. The rock sits at the western corner of the Kingston Sanctuary Zone.

• Experience level: Moderate
• Depth: 1-6 m
• Access: Shore snorkel: enter at Bathurst Point and follow the reef about 200-250 m to the rock (owner's guide). Bathurst Point is an easy walk from the Thomson Bay settlement; the nearest public toilets are at the Stay Rottnest campground behind Pinky Beach or at The Basin. Boats pass close by: stay on the shore side of the reef and tow a dive flag (owner's guide). The plinth marking the 1842 Transit wreck is on this reef; wreck sites are protected.
• Caves & Swim-throughs
• Transit Wreck Site (1842)
• Pink Pocillopora Coral
• Buffalo Bream Schools
• Seagrass & Stingrays
• Boat Traffic

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