Salmon Bay - Rottnest Island snorkelling

Larger and more exposed than Little Salmon Bay, Salmon Bay has a broad limestone reef with pockets of seagrass and sand, and suits snorkellers comfortable with a little more movement in the water. Schools of fish work the reef, and the water is clear on calm days.

Western buffalo bream are the common schooling fish here, with wrasses, goatfish and morwong around the reef pockets. Tropical corals grow in the bay too: researchers have studied its pocillopora and Acropora corals because Salmon Bay sits at the southern edge of their range.

The bay is open to south-westerly winds, so it is best left for calm days. The sand near the beach is a gentle place to warm up before heading out over the reef.

• Experience level: Moderate
• Depth: 1-6 m
• Access: Island Explorer Stop 7 (Salmon Bay); about 5 km by bike from Thomson Bay. No facilities at the bay; the nearest toilets are at Parker Point (RIA). Shallow near the beach, deepening to about 5 m over the reef a few hundred metres out. Picks up south-westerly wind and swell more than Little Salmon Bay.
• Extensive Reef
• Limestone & Seagrass
• Buffalo Bream Schools
• Tropical Corals
• Clear Waters

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