Ultimate Guide to Snorkeling at Busselton Jetty

Recently, I have noticed a number of people clicking on my post https://thetravelbee.blog/2021/03/21/lost-in-another-world-busselton-jetty-with-a-snorkel/. I must admit, this blog is a favourite of mine, I guess because the ocean around South West WA is my happy place. It is the one environment where I feel completely free, uninhibited and worriless. But, seeing these clicks has made me feel guilty. You see………… snorkeling under Busselton Jetty is everything it was when I wrote this blog in 2021, plus a whole lot more!

Today it has spurred me to go back and explore the depths again so that I could guide you all and update you on its wonders. Although I have been thinking about it for months, I was always too busy or lazy or didn’t have the right gear….. blah blah blah. Your clicks inspired me, this morning I gathered my fellow explorers and we did it, no excuses, no regrets.

ARRIVAL

The first change, from 2021, is that you now need to stop at the office at Busselton Jetty Interpretive Centre to purchase a Dive/Snorkel Day Pass. This involves signing a waiver and paying $4 for those over 18. Now, I will admit, us locals were a tad annoyed by this, but I do understand the reasoning.

Hot tip: this can all be done online before you arrive and on a busy day will save you a significant amount of time, click here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/busseltonjetty/items/475764/calendar/2025/01/?full-items=yes. Today we didn’t know about it so hadn’t done it!!

MAP

Whilst at the Interpretive Centre you can pick yourself up a waterproof map of the Underwater Sculpture and Artificial Reef Trail. Installed in mid 2023 the sculptures form a reef intended to extend the habitat and create shelter for fish and other marine life. The map is $15 and has a wrist band to prevent you loosing it. I chose not to buy one. I like to feel as free and unrestricted as possible, knew it would annoy me and figured it wouldn’t be that difficult to locate the 13 sculptures.

GETTING TO THE TRAIL

It is a 1.8km walk to the end of Busselton Jetty, or you could choose to take the jetty train (at an extra cost). I love the walk, you never know what you might see along the way. When you reach the end, follow the signs down the ramp to the dive platform.

THE SCULPTURES

Once on the dive platform, like in 2021, there is a flurry of activity. There’s people, trolleys, tanks, towels, clothes, shoes, snorkels and flippers. Generally, everyone works together to make room and negotiate squeezing into wetsuits and equipment. There is definite excitement in the air. Climb down the ladder or jump off and you are immediately greeted with Sculpture 1: The Diver’s Helmet.

Full disclosure, I did not take this photo. My GoPro battery was flat and I didn’t need the distraction of taking pictures. Today, I was interested in loosing myself in another world, just like I did in 2021 and living in the moment. So, thank you to ‘Perth is Ok’ for the picture.

After checking out the helmet, swim towards the end of the jetty. We kept the jetty on our left and once past the Underwater Observatory, the sculptures came into view one by one. The first, was one of my favourites. I explored it both on the way out and the way back. Named Stella the Stingray, this huge sculpture measures 7 x 4.7m and is made from steel pipes fixed together creating the most interesting habitat. The longer you looked, the more you saw. There were tiny little crabs, fish resting, blennies poking out of holes and corals growing. Although we didn’t see them, I believe there are octopi that call Stella home.

Swimming further down, sculptures loom out of the depths. As predicted, we didn’t have much trouble finding them, but time and time again were surprised by them. There was lots of snorkel talk as we shouted to one another in awe. There was the lighthouse, the crab, the shark, the octopus, a mermaid, 4 x 3m ship, whale, seahorse and more. Each constructed in it’s own individual way. Many are steel, others concrete or ceramic. All, creating varied textures and hidey holes. They are truly enchanting.

TIMBER PYLONS/FISH

As you move along the trail, you can’t help but be distracted by the beautiful 160 year old timber pylons and their colourful corals. Then there are the schools of yellow fin whiting, herring and bream. Also prevalent today were Old Wives, Butterfly fish, Common Bullseyes, Leather Jackets, and Banded Sweep. I was lucky to sneak a peak at a couple of big Samson Fish, two Shaw’s Cowfish (weird looking things) and Opalescent Gobies.

The Busselton Jetty website is handy to help you identify species (if you can remember what they look like). Mainly, I just love fish watching and it doesn’t matter much to me what they are!! To my Yallingup Lagoon friend; I saw lots of ‘purple guys’, but still can’t work out what species they are! Possibly some type of Anthias?

So, as my original post back in 2021 was entitled ‘Lost in another world’, today lived up to every expectation. I was completely lost and my worries (of which there are many) were gone. I can report that the world of Busselton Jetty has grown immensely and is even more exciting than ever before. The Busselton Jetty team have done a fantastic job at building an interesting and sustainable environment for people from all over the world to enjoy.

TTB