Welcome to the Rowley Shoals – 300 kilometres west of Broome lies one of the most pristine coral reef systems on Earth. Over 5 nights, you’ll explore these remote ocean aquariums with just 30 fellow adventurers.Â
Rising from depths of up to 440 metres, three spectacular coral atolls—Clerke Reef, Mermaid Reef, and Imperieuse Reef—create tropical ecosystems teeming with life. These pear-shaped formations, each approximately 7-9 kilometres wide and 14-18 kilometres long, harbour pristine coral walls that plunge into the abyss, lagoons of crystalline turquoise water, and marine biodiversity found nowhere else.Â
This expedition is suitable for both snorkellers and divers. Diving is available for those with a minimum PADI Advanced Open Water certification or equivalent. You’ll explore shallow coral gardens teeming with life, drift through channels on incoming tides, and float above coral walls where visibility seems infinite. Each day brings new sites shaped by tides and conditions, from peaceful lagoon snorkelling to exhilarating channel drifts along the outer walls.Â
This is expedition snorkelling and diving as it should be: remote, pristine, and utterly extraordinary. Your Rowley Shoals adventure begins the moment you step aboard.Â
The highlights below are provided as an example only; nature will be our guide. Our voyages are true expeditions, where each day’s dive sites and activities will be determined by the Expedition Leader, Dive Master, and Captain considering the tide, weather, sea conditions, and marine life encounters.
Day-by-Day Adventures
Broome
- Journey into the Blue
Embark on your extraordinary adventure to one of the world’s most pristine coral reef systems.Â
Your Rowley Shoals expedition begins late afternoon in Broome, where you’ll step aboard Paspaley Pearl—your home for the next five nights. As the sun sets over the Indian Ocean, we’ll depart for our overnight passage to Clerke Reef, 300 kilometres west into open ocean.Â
This evening, meet your fellow adventurers and expedition team over a light dinner as we discuss what lies ahead. Our specialist dive masters and marine biologists will brief you on the dive and snorkelling sites, marine life encounters, and safety protocols that will guide our exploration of these remote atolls.
DAY 1
Clerke Reef
- Vertical Walls and Crystal Lagoons
Dawn reveals Clerke Reef rising from 390 metres—an 18-kilometre atoll with impossible turquoise clarity. Your first session is an equipment check in calm lagoon waters, meeting giant potato cod and Maori wrasse.Â
The outer walls offer world-class snorkelling and drift diving. Snorkellers float along reef edges gazing into the abyss. Divers descend to 25-30 metres where corals cascade down vertical walls. Tidal currents sweep you past schools of trevally, mackerel, hammerhead sharks, and manta rays.
DAY 2-3
Mermaid Reef
- Natural Reserve Snorkelling
Mermaid Reef, rising from 440 metres, is a Commonwealth Marine Park with highest protection. No fishing means marine life shows no fear, creating extraordinary encounters.Â
Outer walls rival world’s best destinations. Snorkellers drift where lagoon meets abyss above plate corals. Divers explore vertical drops sheltering reef fish, patrolling sharks, barracuda schools, and passing sailfish or whale sharks. Inside the lagoon, staghorn coral forests, giant clams, and resting turtles create remarkable diversity.
DAY 4
Imperieuse Reef
- Final Snorkel and Journey Home
Imperieuse Reef rises from 230 metres. Though it lacks a navigable channel to the central lagoon, we’ll access the outer walls and use small tenders to enter the lagoon for snorkelling when tidal conditions permit.Â
The walls here feature particularly dramatic spur and groove formations—fingers of coral extending into deep water separated by sandy channels. It’s in these grooves that you’ll often encounter the reef’s larger residents: sleeping nurse sharks, giant groupers, and schools of pelagic fish moving between reef and open ocean. Optional fishing is permitted around the outside of Imperieuse for those who wish to try their luck.
DAY 5
Broome
- Journey’s End
This morning you’ll arrive in Broome carrying memories of one of the world’s most pristine snorkelling and diving destinations.Â
You’ve snorkelled and dived where no rubbish floats, where marine life shows no fear, and where coral reefs thrive in conditions that seem impossible in our modern world.
DAY 6
Departure dates
Ocean Double/Single Stateroom
$14,995
Ocean Twin Stateroom
$15,995
Ocean Stateroom
$17,995
Horizon Suite
$20,995
Pearl Suite
$25,995
Prices are in AUD$ per person based on twin share. Single supplement pricing is available on application. *Sole occupancy of stateroom #107 attracts no single surcharge.
