MAAC Dive and Snorkel Trail

Meet the site

The reef in front of the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club has long been a popular Perth shore dive, and in 2022 DBCA and partners opened the MAAC Dive and Snorkel Trail here: a 400 m route marked by about 20 underwater plinths with interpretive information and artwork, in 2–6 m. The trail sits within Marmion Marine Park and is designed for all levels.

The reef is limestone with nooks, crannies, small inlets and ledges, some nearly drying at low water. Marine life hides in every gap. Weedy seadragons are the best-known residents, and divers also see bream, red-lipped morwong, trevally, scalyfin, banded sweep, stripeys, tarwhine, goatfish, western blue devils, zebrafish and schools of pomfret, with Port Jackson sharks, eagle rays and stingrays on the sand and octopus in the crevices. Staircase sponges and other sponges grow on the reef.

The wheelchair-accessible ramp makes this one of the most accessible reef dives in Perth. The main issue is surge: the reef lies close to the surface, and waves breaking on it can push divers around even on calm days. It needs low swell and light easterly winds, and summer afternoons are best avoided.

The trail suits families, snorkellers, beginner divers and photographers. With a second, deeper reef 80 m south, experienced divers can extend the dive. Boats and kayaks use the club ramp, so tow a flag.

Water temperatures on this coast range from about 17 °C in late winter to 22–23 °C in late summer, when the warm Leeuwin Current is strongest, so a 5 mm wetsuit suits summer and a 7 mm suit with a hood is more comfortable from June to October.

What you might see

Weedy seadragons, bream, red-lipped morwong, trevally, scalyfin, banded sweep, stripeys, tarwhine, goatfish, western blue devils, zebrafish, pomfret schools, Port Jackson sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, octopus, staircase sponges

Location

A 400 m underwater trail of about 20 interpretive plinths on the shallow reef in front of the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club on West Coast Drive, Marmion, opened in 2022.

Facilities nearby

Club car park and roadside parking; wheelchair-accessible ramp; toilets and the club's facilities (hours vary). Air fills at Hillarys and Osborne Park dive shops.