[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":235},["ShallowReactive",2],{"leaderboard-total":3,"spot-seo-brooms-head-manta-arch":9,"spot-brooms-head-manta-arch":51},{"entries":4,"total":5,"period":6,"type":7,"generated_at":8},[],0,"all_time","reports","2026-10-03T06:32:05.526386Z",{"title":10,"description":11,"canonical_url":12,"og_image":13,"structured_data":14,"breadcrumbs":44},"Snorkeling Conditions at Brooms Head (Manta Arch) - How's the Spot","Check snorkeling conditions at Brooms Head (Manta Arch), New South Wales. Excellent conditions, water 21.9°C, waves 0.61m","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fspots\u002Fbrooms-head-manta-arch","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fog-default.png",[15,28],{"@context":16,"@type":17,"name":18,"description":19,"url":12,"geo":20,"address":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org","Place","Brooms Head (Manta Arch)","Manta Arch is a renowned offshore dive-and-snorkel site within the Solitary Islands Marine Park, lying off the coast of Brooms Head in northern NSW. This underwater granite arch formation is encrus...",{"@type":21,"latitude":22,"longitude":23},"GeoCoordinates",-29.608317,153.335832,{"@type":25,"addressRegion":26,"addressCountry":27},"PostalAddress","New South Wales","Australia",{"@context":16,"@type":29,"name":30,"description":11,"url":12,"breadcrumb":31},"WebPage","Snorkeling Conditions at Brooms Head (Manta Arch)",{"@context":16,"@type":32,"itemListElement":33},"BreadcrumbList",[34,39,42],{"@type":35,"position":36,"name":37,"item":38},"ListItem",1,"Home","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com",{"@type":35,"position":40,"name":26,"item":41},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fexplore?region=new-south-wales",{"@type":35,"position":43,"name":18,"item":12},3,[45,47,49],{"label":37,"href":46},"\u002F",{"label":26,"href":48},"\u002Fexplore?region=new-south-wales",{"label":18,"href":50},"\u002Fspots\u002Fbrooms-head-manta-arch",{"id":52,"name":18,"slug":53,"latitude":22,"longitude":23,"description":54,"difficulty":55,"image_url":56,"status":57,"tide_constituents":58,"hazard_entries":109,"access_info_structured":173,"area_boundary":56,"routes":56,"created_at":182,"updated_at":183,"today_conditions":184,"today_verdict_view":205,"images":231,"submitted_by":232,"region_name":26,"verification_status":234,"verified_at":56,"disputed":196,"verifier_count":5,"last_verified_display_name":56},"494eee2b-a6df-4119-82b7-a229ae103899","brooms-head-manta-arch","Manta Arch is a renowned offshore dive-and-snorkel site within the Solitary Islands Marine Park, lying off the coast of Brooms Head in northern NSW. This underwater granite arch formation is encrusted with colourful soft corals and sponges, attracting masses of fish life and — as the name suggests — occasional manta ray visitations. The site is a recognised aggregation point for Grey Nurse Sharks (Carcharias taurus) year-round, with peak numbers from May to August, and features swim-throughs, bommies, and clear warm water influenced by seasonal tropical currents. Access is by boat only, typically via charter tours departing from Coffs Harbour or Yamba.","intermediate",null,"published",{"name":59,"amplitude":75,"phase":91,"latitude":22,"model":107,"epoch":108},[60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74],"2N2","J1","K1","K2","M2","M4","MF","MM","N2","O1","P1","Q1","S1","S2","T2",[76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90],0.023453418377156848,0.008499978250741844,0.1849928112871536,0.03687234056920879,0.5341816174987688,0.003369824199213187,0.0033552948624368775,0.005050585877047975,0.11139307068874328,0.0970196816152178,0.05816630081761676,0.022127468095136958,0.013407089481998275,0.14415125348287242,0.01433394987152875,[92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106],296.40032774989453,7.830941001275646,342.71975071685,300.90001145751415,301.9404703367151,257.6708274348445,215.16834012890286,58.08841882090574,294.43074449768017,315.79421126565774,339.16362465346845,280.26416898026196,324.0162388020937,313.4964436494068,333.5441601054336,"EOT20","1992-01-01T00:00:00Z",[110,115,118,122,125,128,132,135,138,141,144,147,150,153,158,161,164,167,170],{"name":111,"description":112,"severity":113,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Unpatrolled waters","No lifeguard patrols — swim at your own risk with no active supervision.","warning",12,{"name":116,"description":117,"severity":113,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Unpredictable surf conditions","Swell, rips and shore dump can develop suddenly; avoid jumping into unknown depths.",{"name":119,"description":120,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Boat traffic near ramp","The snorkeling zone is adjacent to the boat ramp — watch for launching\u002Fretrieving vessels.","caution",{"name":123,"description":124,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Tidal Change","Rock pools are tidal-dependent; entering or exiting at high tide can be affected by rising water levels and swell washing over rocks.",{"name":126,"description":127,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Slippery Rocks","The boulders surrounding and within the pools can become extremely slippery when wet.",{"name":129,"description":130,"severity":121,"season_start":131,"season_end":114},"Bluebottle Stings","Bluebottle jellyfish can drift into the rock pools, particularly during north-easterly winds in warmer months.",10,{"name":133,"description":134,"severity":113,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Ocean currents","The Solitary Islands area can experience moderate to strong ocean currents that sweep around the arch and bommies, requiring good fitness and awareness.",{"name":136,"description":137,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Boat traffic","Manta Arch is an offshore site accessed only by boat; snorkelers must stay aware of dive vessels and charter traffic in the area.",{"name":139,"description":140,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Depth and rock formations","The arch and surrounding granite bommies drop to significant depths with swim-throughs; snorkelers should stay near the surface and avoid free-diving beyond ability.",{"name":142,"description":143,"severity":113,"season_start":114,"season_end":114},"Unpatrolled beach sections (summer only)","Main Beach is patrolled only during peak summer season (Dec-Feb). Swim between the flags when patrols are active.",{"name":145,"description":146,"severity":113,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Rip currents","The 4.5 km open beach can develop strong rips, especially away from the protected tidal pool area.",{"name":148,"description":149,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Outgoing tide current","The tidal pool area can experience flushing currents as the tide recedes, with water moving between the rock barriers.",{"name":151,"description":152,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Sudden depth changes","Sandbars and gutters shift with swell conditions, creating unexpected deeper channels close to shore.",{"name":154,"description":155,"severity":113,"season_start":156,"season_end":157},"Large Swells","Direct Pacific exposure means large, powerful waves can arrive with little warning.",6,8,{"name":159,"description":160,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Submerged Hazards","Unknown water depths and submerged rocks near the headland; avoid jumping into the water.",{"name":162,"description":163,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Stair Access","Long staircase from the clifftop to the beach; challenging return climb.",{"name":165,"description":166,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Low tide timing","The pool is best at low tide when it refills naturally; at very low tides water depth may drop significantly.",{"name":168,"description":169,"severity":113,"season_start":56,"season_end":56},"Ocean swell overtopping","During large swell events, waves may wash over the rock shelf, creating unexpected surges inside the pool.",{"name":171,"description":172,"severity":121,"season_start":36,"season_end":114},"Incoming tide current","At higher tides, water surges over the boulders creating a mild current within the pool that can surprise weak swimmers.",{"directions":174,"parking":175,"facilities":176,"fees":180,"access_method":181},"Manta Arch lies offshore from Brooms Head, roughly 20 km south-east of Yamba and around 30 km north of Coffs Harbour. The closest access via sealed road is Brooms Head Road from the Pacific Highway at Maclean. The snorkel site itself is reachable only by boat — charter operators run trips from Coffs Harbour and Yamba to the Solitary Islands Marine Park, with Manta Arch a regular stop.","Parking is available at the Brooms Head Beach carpark or near the caravan park, but from there you'll still need a charter vessel to reach the offshore site.",[177,178,179],"toilets","parking","picnic_tables","Boat charter fees apply (typically $100–$150 per person for a half-day trip). No direct entry fee for the site itself.","boat","2026-07-27T02:55:58.705674Z","2026-08-04T05:32:31.002422Z",{"verdict":185,"evaluated_at":186,"models":187},"go","2026-10-03T02:20:08.164039Z",[188,194,200],{"model_name":189,"is_favourable":190,"value":191,"threshold":131,"unit":192,"operator":193},"Wind Speed",true,3.38,"kn","lte",{"model_name":195,"is_favourable":196,"value":197,"threshold":198,"unit":199,"operator":193},"Wave Height",false,0.607,0.5,"m",{"model_name":201,"is_favourable":190,"value":202,"threshold":40,"unit":203,"operator":204},"Visibility",2.16,"","gte",{"verdict":185,"rating":206,"evaluated_at":186,"generated_at":186,"source":207,"confidence":208,"visibility":211,"parameters":212,"models_passed":230,"models_total":225},"Excellent","precomputed",{"level":209,"value":210},"High",100,{"score":202,"rating":56,"confidence":56},[213,215,219,222,227],{"name":195,"value":214,"label":56,"unit":199,"favourable":196,"score":36,"optimal_max":198,"marginal_max":36},0.6066143148986118,{"name":216,"value":217,"label":56,"unit":218,"favourable":190,"score":43,"optimal_max":157,"marginal_max":114},"Swell Period",6.2,"s",{"name":189,"value":220,"label":56,"unit":192,"favourable":190,"score":43,"optimal_max":131,"marginal_max":221},3.3792109778364017,15,{"name":223,"value":5,"label":56,"unit":224,"favourable":190,"score":43,"optimal_max":225,"marginal_max":226},"Precipitation","mm",5,20,{"name":228,"value":56,"label":229,"unit":203,"favourable":190,"score":43,"optimal_max":56,"marginal_max":56},"Tidal Phase","slack",4,[],{"display_name":233},"Daniel","unverified",1791009135222]