A 400 m dive and snorkel trail with 20 underwater plinths, right off Marmion Beach, plus Mettams Pool just down the road for calmer days.
Marmion is one of those coastal suburbs most of us drive straight through on West Coast Drive. But right off its beach there’s a free underwater trail you can snorkel, with little information plinths sitting on the sea floor. Bring a mask and a towel and you’ve got a morning sorted.
Quick facts
- Where: Marmion Beach, opposite the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club, 67 West Coast Drive
- Trail: 400 m loop, 2 to 6 m deep, 20 underwater plinths
- Cost: Free
- Facilities: Car park and public toilet
- Dogs: Not allowed in the marine park
- Getting there: About 20 km (25 minutes) from the Perth CBD
The MAAC Dive and Snorkel Trail
The trail was put together by the Parks and Wildlife Service and the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club, and it sits in Marmion Marine Park. It’s a 400 m loop in two to six metres of water, and along the way there are 20 plinths on the sea floor with facts, activities and directions. You swim out from Marmion Beach in front of the angling club, where a surface float marks the start.
It’s listed as suitable for all levels, but that depends on the day. Pick a calm morning before the sea breeze comes in, snorkel with a buddy, and tow a dive flag if you’re heading more than 50 m out. The Trails WA page for the trail has the full safety list. Spearguns and gidgees aren’t allowed within 1,800 m of the shore anywhere in the marine park.
For a calmer swim, try Mettams Pool
If it’s a bit choppy at Marmion, or you’ve got a nervous first-timer with you, head a short way south down West Coast Drive to Mettams Pool in North Beach. It’s a sheltered lagoon less than two metres deep, also in the marine park, with stairs and a sloping walkway down to the water. There’s a changeroom, toilet, shower, shade shelter and picnic tables. The surge can be strong on the outer edge of the reef, and the Parks and Wildlife page warns to watch out for cobblers in the weed near the shore.
“Went for a brilliant snorkel just form the shore, so much sea-life next to the beach.”
Douglas C, Google review
“Really great for snorkelling.”
Jacqueline K, Google review
A note on the angling club
The Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club has a bar and some of the best sunset views on this stretch of coast, but it’s members only. You’ll need to be signed in by a member as a guest, so don’t plan your post-swim beer around it unless you know someone.
If you like this, the Omeo shipwreck snorkel trail at Coogee is the south-of-the-river version, and the Alkimos wreck is worth the drive further north.
Featured image: Marmion Beach looking south from the dunes by Orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
Frequently Asked Questions
The MAAC Dive and Snorkel Trail starts off Marmion Beach, opposite the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club on West Coast Drive. Look for the surface float in front of the club.
