Ewens Ponds Snorkelling/Diving

Permits

Ewens Ponds is having a staged reopening after a period of closure due to low water levels and reduced flows. Aquatic vegetation in the ponds is still recovering following the dramatic drop in water levels and the impact of water birds having more ready access to the vegetation. Significant amounts of aquatic vegetation loss has occurred.

As the ponds are still in a recovery phase, changes to visitation permit conditions are to apply as a short term management measure.

Permits are currently open for snorkelling. Diving is permitted when participating as part of a guided and accredited tour ONLY. Free Diving, body boards, blow-up floatation devices, or any form of boating is NOT permitted. Snorkelling and Diving permits are currently being issued for timeslots 1 week in advance while the ponds continue to recover. The site conditions will continue to be monitored by NPWS staff, with increased ranger presence to ensure compliance with permits.

To dive or snorkel at Ewens Ponds you must first book a time slot and purchase a permit prior to entering the water. Please check the website for availability as bookings are essential.

Please read the conditions of entry below:

• Time slots are one hour long, with a maximum of 1 snorkel session per person, per day.
• A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people per snorkelling group is allowed. Single snorkellers are not permitted.
• This is a self guided activity.
• All snorkellers must enter the first pond no later than 15 minutes after the commencement of the booking to avoid a non-refundable cancellation.
• You must exit the water before your timeslot expires.
• All snorkellers must enter at the first pond and exit at the third pond. Do not swim back up the channel against the current or stand on or hold onto the vegetation.
• Each snorkeller must wear a full-length wet suit, short fins (no more than 55 cm in length), face mask and snorkel. Oversized fins or novelty fins are not permitted. No weight belts to be worn for snorkelling. NPWS does not provide or hire any snorkelling equipment.
• Water Temperature is 15-16 degrees Celsius therefore recommended wetsuit thickness of 4mm or greater.
• Children under 6 years old not permitted. Children under 16must be accompanied by an adult.
• Snorkellers are advised that the ponds are very deep (>10m) and that the total snorkel length between the first and third ponds is 365 meters. It will take a minimum of ~30 mins to snorkel through the system. There are no opportunities to stand up in the water, and once entering the first channel, there is no opportunity to turn back. Swimming ability and water confidence of snorkelers should be taken into consideration prior to entry.
• Please carefully read Information on responsible snorkelling behaviour (sent via email after you make a booking).

Bookings

Bookings for a dive or snorkel permit and timeslot are not available onsite; they must be made prior to arrival.

When booking, we require:

• the names of people who wish to dive or snorkel in a time slot
• preferred dive or snorkel date and time