Church Bay

Church Bay is a small cove on the south shore reached by steps down from the road, and it is the beach snorkellers are sent to: reef comes close inshore here, so parrotfish, sergeant majors and the rest are reachable by swimming a short way out rather than needing a boat. The sand is pink like the rest of the south shore. Swell breaks over the reef on rough days and makes the water cloudy and dangerous.

What you actually see

• The inshore reef - coral close enough to reach by swimming from the beach.
• The reef fish - parrotfish and other species over the coral heads.
• The pink sand - the shell-tinted beach in the small cove.
• The steps down - the built access from the road above.

When to go

May to October is the season, with the calmest water in the summer months. Swell makes the reef dangerous and the water cloudy. Mornings are usually calmest.

Honest expectations

The bay is small and gets crowded. On any swell the reef is dangerous and snorkelling is not sensible. There are no facilities beyond the steps and a small car park.

Nearby

Horseshoe Bay is east, and the Dockyard is northwest.