8 Snorkeling & Diving Trips in Gold Coast to Build a Day Around

1.Wave Break Island Kayaking & Snorkeling tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 340 reviews · 2h 30m · from $63Our pick

Join local guides such as Jane, Nelson, or Caroline for a 150-minute paddle from Biggera Waters to Wave Break Island. You will kayak across the Broadwater, walk to a sheltered snorkel site, spot subtropical fish, enjoy fruit and local snacks, and receive digital photos. No experience is needed.

“Love the part that the guide has considered my opinion instead of just forcing you to pair a group with another person, tho she had the right to do so, greatly appreciate about this, and they were kind the whole time, taking pics and offering apples and snacks after snorkeling, but please be aware that there is no place to change ur clothes so cannot change back to ur regular clothes after the tour, and have to be strong enough in the upper part of the body to finish the course, I’m not that fit, so got a little behind, but all guide are so nice and kind, just follow…”

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2.Gold Coast Kayaking & Snorkelling Tour (2.5 Hours)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 318 reviews · from $63

Set out from Biggera Waters with guides such as Nelson, Karen, Caroline, and Gonzalo for a 2.5-hour kayak and snorkel trip to Wave Break Island. You get child-sized gear, snacks, water, dry bags, digital photos, and winter wetsuits. No experience is needed.

“Nelson was very informative and super kind, he gave us history on the island and set up a cute picnic for us. He is super sweet and helpful carrying the kayaks and keeping us safe!!”

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3.Snorkelling in Wave Break Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 143 reviews · 4 hours · from $55

Spend four hours with Queensland Scuba Diving Company at Wave Break Island, where calm water, fish feeding, underwater photos, and a boogie board make snorkelling approachable. Guides speak English, Japanese, and Spanish, with staff such as John, Steve, Toma, and Johnny Utah praised for friendly help.

“These guys are awesome we really enjoyed our day snorkelling , Steve is a great instructor and we were picked up promptly at our hotel by lovely staff who made us feel very welcome 5 stars from us”

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4.Snorkeling with Turtles Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 98 reviews · 3 hours · from $105

Set out from Chinderah Bay with Cooly Eco Adventures for a three-hour trip to Cook Island Aquatic Reserve. You’ll snorkel with sea turtles, colorful fish, rays, and possibly dolphins or whales, guided by an in-water crew such as Gemma, Lachlan, Cass, or Joel. The boat carries no more than 12 passengers.

“Great experience! Saw so many turtles in a short amount of time. Quite a bit of swell so if you get easily seasick have some seasickness tablets. Would definitely recommend!”

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5.Wave Break Island Scuba Diving on the Gold Coast

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 80 reviews · from $87

Join Queensland Scuba Diving Company for a four-hour trip from Main Beach to Wave Break Island. Beginners learn with a PADI instructor before a guided underwater session, while certified guests can request a more advanced group. Instructors including María, JD, Josh, Justin, and Lollie have helped make the outing friendly and reassuring.

“I had a really great time with the team scuba diving. I’d booked it not knowing what to expect it and as someone who has dived a few times before, they then gave me the chance to have a good 1-1 dive where we explored more which I really appreciated. They offered pick up and drop off too which was super helpful.”

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6.Kayaking and Snorkeling Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 36 reviews · 2 hours · from $53Best value

Paddle calm Southern Moreton Bay with an English-speaking guide, then kayak to Wavebreak Island for beach snorkeling among sub-tropical fish. Dolphins appear on about 80% of tours, though wildlife and water conditions vary. Bring swimwear, footwear, water, sunscreen, and a towel.

“We signed up for a two-hour kayak + snorkeling experience at Wavebreak Island. To expedite the filling-up of the consent form, the guides could consider administering that online, rather than asking the participants to fill it up on the spot, which was time consuming. Once we kayaked to Wavebreak Island, we had to walk 15-20 min to the snorkeling spot and another 15-20 min back to the kayak, which ate into activity time. The guides could consider reminding participants to bring footwear for the walk as well, since parts of the beach were covered with sharp sand/ broken shell. Overall, while it was valiant effort to guide a big group,…”

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7.Kayaking & Snorkelling Tour with Fish Feeding

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 35 reviews · 3 hours · from $63

You’ll learn basic kayaking on the Gold Coast Broadwater, paddle to a man-made island, snorkel among subtropical fish, and enjoy a light beachside breakfast. Stable double kayaks, life jackets, masks, snorkels, and wetsuits on request make this a friendly choice for beginners and non-swimmers.

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8.Introductory SCUBA Diving Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 34 reviews · 4 hours · from $91

Spend four hours learning SCUBA basics with a certified PADI instructor before swimming among Gold Coast fish at Wave Break Island. Calm, shallow-water practice comes first, followed by an underwater session of up to about 40 minutes, with snorkeling and boat time afterward.

“We had never done scuba diving before, but the team made the process so easy! They guided us through the essential skills marvellously, and made sure we were all safe and comfortable to venture into deeper areas of water together. We spent about 40 minutes underwater continuously, exploring a rocky area with lots of different fish, a baby stingray, and stonefish. The rest of the time was spent getting to and from the diving spot, and practicing skills in the shallow water. Overall, we had a great experience and would strongly recommend this activity to everyone!!”

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