Best Rowley Shoals for avid snorkelers?

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FishCity

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Hi. After we do our 2 upcoming Coral Triangle lob trips, we are thinking what next.
Rowley Shoals sounds cool, not just because of the Ken Done paintings. :)

Any thoughts to which boats are best for snorkelers? We are very good in the water, just have ear (him) and asthma (me) issues so no scuba.

If not boats, which sites are good for snorkelers and which are not would help, too.

Thanks!
 
Hi It is a great place for diving and snorkelling but keep in mind that not many boats go there and it is expensive and there is a very limited season out there due to wind and cyclones. I know I sound negative but if you do your research and do get there it is an amazing place.My favorite snorkelling there is drifting through the narrow channels on an outgoing tides.
 
Hi, we have been looking at trips and it seems the season is Sept to November? However, Coral Expeditions seems to offer a new round trip from Broome that includes Rowley, along with Ningaloo. BUT those trips are in mid to late MAY.

Is that also ok, or is it likely to not allow good time at Rowley? We've been to Ningaloo and really are most interested in Rowley Shoals.

The other one we are looking at is Great Expeditions.

Thanks for any feedback.
 
Hi It is a really long way between the rowleys and ningaloo so you would spend a lot of your time travelling.When you mention great expeditions did you mean the great escape company? I went with them some years ago and they are a great outfit and they have a lot of experience there. Two other companies that go there regularly are odyssey and the true north. I know quite a few people that have been there on the true north and they have all loved it. It is expensive and often booked out but it seems well worth it. I would be inclined to go with one of these smaller boats that are familiar with the place. Also keep in mind that may is still just in the cyclone season. If you do get there I am sure you will love it.
 
Thanks! Yes I did mean Great Escape. Good points about familiarity and season. Appreciate it.
 
@garycrano I was looking at the smaller Broome based trips. Great Escape looks good, but I notice it's price is higher. Looks like a nicer boat though? Did you find it reasonable value?
Thanks again!
 
If you love snorkelling look into
Heron Island
Wilson island
Lady Elliott Island
 
I went on the Odyssey Liveaboard back in 2017 and can recommend them! From what I saw, they were by far the least expensive operator doing Rowley Shoals. Unless something has changed drastically, they only go to Rowley during the inter-monsoon season which is end of September to early November. I went mid-October. The boat is a sturdy catamaran (though the crossing there was on the rough side!) and can take 20 guests in 10 double cabins with AC. The upper cabins have sinks in them but none have bathrooms. There were 4 or 5 bathrooms on the back dive deck, one of which was reserved exclusively for women (and because we were only a total of 5 ladies, it was pretty easy to access when you wanted). They are spacious and have toilet, sink/mirror and shower. Their dive boat Homer accompanies the ship for part of the trip and from where you will do your diving (in one of the atolls we dove exclusively off the main ship). They also have a little tinny chase boat and this is what they used to take out and pick up snorkelers. There were 5 of them on our trip (and 15 divers with one DM) and they all seemed pretty happy and got to see a ton of wildlife (one couple was counting the species of fish they encountered and I think they went over 100!). Rowley is famous for its visibility and clear waters (And "glass-off" days) and from Homer we could often see sharks and fish 30 metres down 30! RS are atolls so they each have a shallow clear lagoon that snorkelers can really enjoy. Service was great, crew was fantastic and the food was very good. Plenty of Aus wines and beer to partake in at the end of the day too.

A quick look at their site tells me they only have a few spaces left on one of their trips - the rest are full. So get in touch with them asap!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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