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Snorkel with Turtles Gold Coast: Explore Biodiverse Turtle Island Under the Pacific
4.9
167 Ratings
Chinderah
You will encounter the marvels of the Pacific Ocean from both top and underneath. Immerse yourself in the rich biodiversity of Turtle Island (Cook Island) and swim alongside these totally amazing turtles. This is an unforgettable tour experience!
You will encounter the marvels of the Pacific Ocean from both top and underneath. Immerse yourself in the rich biodiversity of Turtle Island (Cook Island) and swim alongside these totally amazing turtles. This is an unforgettable tour experience!
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Coolangatta - Experience an exciting day on the ocean, interacting with turtles, marine life, and nature on our eco-friendly Swim with Turtles Tour!
The adventure starts with a 20-minute boat ride to Cook Island Aquatic Reserve (Joongurra-Narrian). This reserve is located about 600 meters off the coast of Fingal Head, NSW, and serves as a feeding…
- Coolangatta - Experience an exciting day on the ocean, interacting with turtles, marine life, and nature on our eco-friendly Swim with Turtles Tour!
The adventure starts with a 20-minute boat ride to Cook Island Aquatic Reserve (Joongurra-Narrian). This reserve is located about 600 meters off the coast of Fingal Head, NSW, and serves as a feeding ground for a large population of sea turtles. The island was originally named Turtle Island due to the abundance of turtles. Here, participants will dive in and encounter these amazing local residents! The waters surrounding the reserve are also inhabited by a diverse range of subtropical and temperate fish, crustaceans, and rays, among others. Get ready to be mesmerized by the enchanting underwater world right at our doorstep!
CANCELLATION POLICY: To cancel or reschedule your tour, please contact us by phone at least 24 hours before your tour’s start time. Late cancellations are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled.
REFUND POLICY: If a full refund is issued, booking or card fees incurred cannot be refunded.
PLEASE NOTE: We operate on QLD time, and all tour times are listed accordingly.
What's Included
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Use of snorkeling equipment
What's Not Included
- Life jackets will not be worn in the water - all participants must be able to swim
- Life jackets will not be worn in the water - all participants must be able to swim
Location
139-151 Chinderah Bay Dr
Chinderah Bay Drive
Look for the big white trailer and the Cooly Eco Adventures flag!
Please note: we operate on QLD time. All tour times are listed as such. If you are travelling from New South Wales, you will need to add one hour to your intended departure time to account for daylight savings.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(167 Ratings)
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Emily_p
Apr 10, 2026
Absolutely amazing! - Amazing! We got to swim so close to the turtles. We were lucky to see two separate pods of dolphins from the boat on the trip back. The boat ride itself was fun also. The tour guides were super friendly, funny and knowledgeable. We also saw wobbegong shark, lots of amazing, colourful fish, stingray. Exceeded expectations of how many turtles we saw and how close we could swim next to them. We will definitely be doing this again!
Review provided by Viator
Ciaranm02
Apr 4, 2026
A must-do when visiting Gold Coast! - Highly recommend a trip with Cooley Eco Adventures! We had an epic time out on the water with the team, Gemma & Lochy. Seen lots of turtles and other wildlife & were in safe hands the whole time! 💫 🐢
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimio214
Apr 4, 2026
Thank you Gemma and Lachie! - Such a beautiful day with picturesque views! Gemma and Lachie were so warm and friendly. Would 100% recommend bringing a jumper
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H9907yflisam
Mar 22, 2026
Best morning - Best morning ever.. everything that we were told to experience-happened.
Turtles octopus squid fish starfish coral. Snowy and Jemma the operators made it so easy and safe. C u for whale season 😎
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Russellh606
Mar 21, 2026
Best turtle snorkel! - We had the best time today, spotted multiple turtles, at least 2 different types, lots of fish and some were lucky enough to spot an octopus. Plenty of great colour reefs. Staff are 10/10.
There is a bit of current to swim against, but if you're an average to good swimmer you'll be fine staff will help you out. Keep in mind it's not an aquarium, I see some comments complaining about the amount of turtles... They're free to roam the whole ocean! The abundance of other sea life should make up for it if you see less.
I'll add the boat isn't huge but we own one of these RIBs and they are made to handle rough seas with ease, they're better than a big boat for snorkelling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tud0r23
Mar 3, 2026
Snorkel with Turtles - What a fun adventure. Super friendly crew and knowledgeable. The waters were choppy, but they couldn't control that. I would highly recommend this tour group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annalise
Feb 17, 2026
Incredible experience with an equally amazing crew!! - This experience with Cooly Eco Adventures was absolutely amazing! It was my boyfriend and I’s first time snorkeling in open waters, so we were both quite nervous leading up to the tour. But immediately we were greeted with a friendly, down to earth crew of Snowy, Lachy and Lou. We always felt comfortable and in good hands, with a crew that is clearly experienced and enthusiastic about the amazing marine life! We had so much fun; swimming with a bale of turtles, as well as checking out the vast array of colourful fish and other sea life along the ocean floor! We really respected how much the crew cared about conservation and protecting the turtles around the reserve. It felt like a more grounding experience, being led by a crew that genuinely appreciated the marine life. We cannot recommend this tour enough- it was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had :) Thank you to the crew once again for being so awesome and facilitating such a great time!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peterandsandrap
Feb 12, 2026
A fantastic experience. Need to come back with a decent camera - A fantastic trip. Turtles, manta ray, wobbegongs (sharks), octopus, and a gazillion different fish species. A family of dolphins sam beside the boat on the way back. Thanks Connor and Lauchie
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessicaru1821uw
Jan 23, 2026
Amazing!! So many turtles!! - Amazing experience!! We had a very rough day to go to the island but it made it more of an adventure. The guides were amazing and always made sure we felt safe. With a group of about 12 people, we had the island and turtles to ourselves!! There were sooooooo many turtles and they were very laid back, allowing us to get up close. All up it was a breathtaking experience with an amazing eco company and extraordinary guides.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kira_t
Jan 28, 2026
Awful customer service and outcome -
We booked through Viator, when one of us fell really sick and attempted to cancel before the 24 hour refund guarantee which was stated on the website however it would not go through. We called and messaged eco tours to no response, then contacted Viator directly who sent a refund request which wasn’t responded to until after the period, therefore we were refused a refund.
We called Lachie at eco tours who was incredibly rude and dismissive, and refused a refund even after we explained the situation. He moved us to a date that we said had worse weather than another but he told us we were wrong.
We spent $70 on a driver out to the location, not until we were almost there did we get a message about it being delayed by an hour, after waiting half an hour, he called us and told us it was cancelled and that we could get the refund after all.
We wasted $140 on drivers and a whole morning on a refund we were entitled to initially, in addition to awful customer service - he clearly did not care, was yawning and being condescending, and had no empathy for our situation. Was super unapologetic and made no effort.
Finally, we were told the refund was to take 7 days to come through, but was still waiting a week and a half later after MANY follow ups.
Awful experience.
Review provided by Viator
