Rowley Shoals Marine Park

Rowley Shoals Marine Park and Mermaid Reef Marine Park are a chain of three protected coral atolls. Here you can enjoy world class diving and snorkelling in their coral gardens and shallow lagoons. There are hard and soft corals in every imaginable colour. Sounds good so far, right?!   

The lagoons within the reefs provide sheltered waters for abundant and diverse marine life. It’s tropical fish central. Keep your goggles de-misted for sightings of sea turtles, manta rays and dolphins. Many types of larger marine mammals visit the park’s atolls.  
 
Further offshore, the seafloor slopes away to the depths, some 6000m below. Undersea canyons slice the slope - these features are commonly associated with diverse communities of deep-water corals and sponges and create localised upwellings that attract species like tunas and billfish. 

After all the diving and snorkelling, it’s time to catch a fish for supper. Recreational fishing is permitted in some parts of the marine park. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re catching a feed in the right spot! Download the park visitor guide and know your zones. To protect marine biodiversity, restrictions apply.  Find out the recreational fishing rules that apply, licenses required and bag, size and possession limits that apply at Fisheries. 

Diving and snorkelling in the turquoise waters of Rowley Shoals Marine Park is an experience you’ll remember forever. We recommend you take the plunge!