I found Australia’s best-kept secret reef

Remote, protected from bleaching and teeming with life, Rowley Shoals is one of the world’s most wondrous snorkelling spots.

In the shallows, I see large tabletop corals, their blue tablecloths made of thousands of tiny turquoise fish. Boulder corals, some 8m across, shelter monster coral trout. Whitetip reef sharks snooze on the seafloor, and mysterious, wiggly garden eels pop their heads up through the sand.

The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll reefs, all that remains of ancient volcanic activity. This remote waterworld, 300km west of Broome in WA, is visited by just a few hundred lucky visitors a year. But perhaps I’m the luckiest of all, visiting with True North Adventure Cruises, the pioneer of luxury Kimberley expeditions, on the five-night Coral Atoll Cruise.

Boarding True North in Broome in time for sunset drinks, we steam overnight to “the Rowleys”. I wake to a view of the 15km-wide Clerke Reef, encircling a postcard turquoise lagoon.

Our 50m vessel has a shallow 2.2m draft and it certainly comes in handy. Entry to the lagoon is via a narrow, coral-fringed channel, and our captain delicately shimmies the boat through the shallow reef without so much as brushing a coral.

With our own naturalist guide, we plunge into the shallow lagoon for a snorkel tour.

True North has 18 stylish staterooms across various levels of luxury with king or twin single beds. A maximum of 36 guests are accommodated, and they relax in the lounge and library area, alfresco bar and several sun decks.

The atmosphere on board is casual, and the 22 staff are encouraged to interact with guests. Fine-dining meals are plated up by two chefs, and we’re treated to delights such as lamb on kohlrabi purée with Japanese spices, Moroccan goat cutlets, and sashimi of tuna freshly caught by guests. But the real luxury here is the access to wilderness. After attaching to a mooring, True North is stationary for three nights and the crew deploys six adventure boats, comfortable dinghies with a coolbox of drinks. Guests head out several times each day on the boats for their choice of diving, snorkelling, or fishing.

Some guests on board are dedicated anglers and entertain us with catch-and-release stories involving sailfish, wahoo and tuna. Each night, the fishing guides award the coveted “fish hat” for the funniest fishing incident of the day. As a fishing novice, I’m assured this is the ultimate place to learn. My guide is only 21, but already has a wealth of fishing experience. When the Spanish mackerel hits my lure, he’s right there to help me land it and, importantly, to set it free. But I’m really here to watch fish rather than catch them, and trade my fishing rod for a mask and snorkel.

With our own naturalist guide, we plunge into the shallow lagoon for a snorkel tour. It’s an ideal place for beginners, and the crew stand by, ready to help. In this real-life aquarium, a harmless spotty leopard shark rests under a ledge, striped angelfish peer out of crevices and adorable anemone fish delight everyone.

For a change of scenery, we visit the sandy speck called Bedwell Island. Picture: Carolyn Beasley.

The health of the reefs here means we’re blessed with some rare sightings, too – a school of massive humphead parrotfish graze their way past us, and returning to True North on the boats we’re treated to elegant spinner dolphins riding our bow wave, exuding sheer joy. One reason these reefs are so healthy is their formal protection. Clerke and Imperieuse Reefs fall within WA’s Rowley Shoals Marine Park, with fishing controlled by zones. The third atoll, Mermaid Reef, is a Commonwealth Marine Reserve. During our visit the WA Fisheries Department conducts routine vessel inspections and Australia’s Border Force surveillance plane patrols overhead for illegal fishing vessels.

Reefs face many threats, and our naturalist explains that coral bleaching is affecting reefs worldwide. Bleaching and coral death can occur from factors including pollution and sustained high water temperatures caused by global warming. However, the Rowleys are in unpolluted waters, and have sheer reef walls, rising from hundreds of metres in depth. Cool, nutrient-rich currents from the deep keep the reef well fed and help to mitigate rising temperatures. In the time the Great Barrier Reef has experienced six mass bleaching events (between 1998 to 2022), WA reefs have experienced two mass bleachings (1998 and 2016), plus a few less severe events. So far, the Rowley Shoals has escaped the worst effects, but scientists warn the chance of mass bleaching increases year by year. For now, though, we’re fortunate to be exploring one of Australia’s healthiest reef systems.

For a change of scenery, we visit the sandy speck called Bedwell Island. As we arrive, the crew has already assembled chairs and beach umbrellas. We carefully spy on nesting red-tailed tropicbirds and their chicks, and sip cocktails as the sun retires.

Flexibility is important for expedition cruising, and plans for a drift snorkel through the natural drainage channel from the lagoon to the sea are postponed due to choppy conditions. But on the final day, 19 guests and an assortment of staff shoot through the coral passageway on the falling tide. It’s a feeling akin to flying, and I’m whisked over sleeping baby sharks, giant clams, and surprised turtles. Finally, I’m spat out in the open ocean, where I bob on the edge of the deep blue drop-off, heart pounding with adrenaline, as I wait to be scooped up by the hovering adventure boats. Our captain is driving one of them, and as I climb in, he calls out, “Who wants to go again?”

The writer was a guest of True North Adventure Cruises and Tourism Western Australia.