Soma Bay drop-off
A near-vertical reef wall reachable from a jetty — the most dramatic thing on this coast that does not need a boat.
Getting in
A long jetty out to the reef edge, then steps into deep water.
Most shore snorkelling on this coast is a gentle swim over a reef flat. Soma Bay is the exception: the jetty takes you to a wall that falls away steeply, so you are floating over deep blue with the reef at your shoulder. It is the closest a snorkeller gets to the feeling divers pay for.
That drama is also the caution. Nothing here is shallow, so it is a poor choice for children or anyone uneasy in open water — and an excellent one for anyone who is not.
What you are likely to see
- A steep wall dropping into blue water
- Larger fish than the shallow bays — jacks, barracuda, big wrasse
- Good soft coral on the wall face
- Turtles fairly regularly
Conditions
- Deep water immediately. There is no shallow section
- The peninsula catches wind — surface chop is common in the afternoon
- Current runs along the wall and can be noticeable
What to watch out for
- This is a wall, not a bay. There is nowhere to stand and nowhere shallow to retreat to, and the blue below you is genuinely deep. Confident swimmers only, and use a float if you are unsure.
- Go in the morning. The afternoon wind on this peninsula makes the surface hard work.
Conditions change and this is planning information, not a briefing. Nobody can promise you an animal. If something goes wrong in the water, the coast’s emergency numbers are on our emergency contacts page.