Swim With Turtles, Lady Musgrave Experience
An Abundance Of Marine Life Everywhere
- The Giant Queensland Groper
- Moray Eels
- Resident Green, SW Pacific Loggerhead and Hawksbill Turtles
- Large Pelagics
- Black Tip Reef Sharks
- Anemones and Anemone Fish
- Lion Fish
- Manta Rays
- Eagle Rays, Sting Rays
- Thousands of species of reef fish just abundant in numbers likely rarely seen before
- White Tip Reef Sharks
- Tiger Sharks
- Hammerhead Sharks
- Tawny Sharks
- Lemon sharks
They are all genuine regulars at our private unexplored dive sites that are waiting for your experience.
Great Barrier Reef Swim With Turtles Tours
Learn more about what you might see.
From October, the breeding season begins and the waters are full of activity as more turtles are returning to the beach where they were born to mate and start their own clutch of eggs on Lady Musgrave Island. Between October and March, female turtles come ashore at night to nest, leaving behind turtle tracks for visitors to discover on the island walk.
Hatchlings emerge 8-12 weeks later in December-May, using the lightest area of the night sky to make their way into the sea. The island is home to a moderate sized Green turtle rookery plus a small but stable Loggerhead turtle rookery.
Reef Empress is positioned in the Lady Musgrave lagoon for a comfortable and safe snorkel for guests to explore the snorkel site for turtles and other marine life. The turtles in the Lady Musgrave lagoon are wild marine animals so to ensure the likelihood of swimming with a turtle our crew will provide a briefing highlighting the location of our marked turtle cleaning station.
To assist further, our in water snorkel guides and crew on lookout will point out any passing turtles while ensuring guests are comfortable and safe in the water.
Being in the presence of a turtle is something everyone needs to experience. Our Lady Musgrave Experience snorkelling tours is the perfect opportunity to tick this experience off the bucket list. Ready to take the plunge?
FAQ’s – Swimming With Turtles
Can I touch the turtles?
As visitors to the Lady Musgrave lagoon we ask our guests to show respect to all marine animals by appreciating with your eyes and not hands. Our tours allow guests to witness wild animals in their natural, undisturbed habitat. Guests have the opportunity for a close encounter with a turtle from the island walk, glass bottom boat and swimming with them in the lagoon.
Will I see a turtle?
The turtles at Lady Musgrave are wild creatures however our experience will do everything to provide guests with the opportunity to see a turtle. Our snorkel guides’ in-depth snorkel briefing will highlight the location of a marked turtle cleaning station and best snorkel path for snorkelers. While ensuring the safety of our guests in the water, our in water snorkel guides and look out crew will help spot any turtles for snorkelers. Our Glass Bottom Boat Driver will also take guests to the turtle cleaning station during the Glass Bottom Boat Tours and during breeding season turtle tracks can be seen on the island. If you are very lucky, during the season (January to March), it may be possible to see baby hatchlings running to the water from their nests. Nature is full of surprises and our crew will do our best to work with nature to bring you the best experience possible.