[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":214},["ShallowReactive",2],{"leaderboard-total":3,"spot-seo-five-islands-nature-reserve":9,"spot-five-islands-nature-reserve":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 Five Islands Nature Reserve - How's the Spot","Check snorkeling conditions at Five Islands Nature Reserve, New South Wales. Good conditions, water 18.9°C, waves 0.29m","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fspots\u002Ffive-islands-nature-reserve","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.syd1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\u002Fspots\u002Fimport_five-islands-nature-reserve_0_ee8914482d11.jpg",[15,28],{"@context":16,"@type":17,"name":18,"description":19,"url":12,"geo":20,"address":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org","Place","Five Islands Nature Reserve","Five Islands Nature Reserve is a cluster of five continental islands (Flinders, Bass, Martin, Big Island, and Rocky Islet) rising from the Tasman Sea off Port Kembla. The surrounding subtidal reefs...",{"@type":21,"latitude":22,"longitude":23},"GeoCoordinates",-34.491226,150.928457,{"@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 Five Islands Nature Reserve",{"@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\u002Ffive-islands-nature-reserve",{"id":52,"name":18,"slug":53,"latitude":22,"longitude":23,"description":54,"difficulty":55,"image_url":13,"status":56,"tide_constituents":57,"hazard_entries":108,"access_info_structured":145,"area_boundary":113,"routes":113,"created_at":153,"updated_at":154,"today_conditions":155,"today_verdict_view":177,"images":203,"submitted_by":211,"region_name":26,"verification_status":213,"verified_at":113,"disputed":173,"verifier_count":5,"last_verified_display_name":113},"035c20ac-4c04-4a33-8883-9410481f6c80","five-islands-nature-reserve","Five Islands Nature Reserve is a cluster of five continental islands (Flinders, Bass, Martin, Big Island, and Rocky Islet) rising from the Tasman Sea off Port Kembla. The surrounding subtidal reefs and boulder slopes are rich with sponge gardens, kelp forests, and encrusting coral, offering clear-water snorkeling that rivals Sydney's best offshore sites. The islands are sanctuaries for fur seals, little penguins, and migratory seabirds, often seen from the water. Access is strictly by boat — the islands themselves are closed to landing to protect their fragile ecology and Aboriginal heritage. The reserve's sheltered western sides provide calm conditions, while the exposed eastern edges offer dramatic drop-offs and drift snorkeling for the adventurous.","intermediate","published",{"name":58,"amplitude":74,"phase":90,"latitude":22,"model":106,"epoch":107},[59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73],"2N2","J1","K1","K2","M2","M4","MF","MM","N2","O1","P1","Q1","S1","S2","T2",[75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89],0.01753446261541997,0.008849408629054745,0.1627098040747505,0.03856354369304647,0.48553672936337733,0.005226513691821307,0.0009968739409874057,0.0063328095657772185,0.10817036044331593,0.09402278376060512,0.05318820240861666,0.014044558960806065,0.0019259572286946286,0.1093485419171724,0.003289955088476261,[91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105],276.8702215037347,12.44453375523284,324.183792558074,311.32830273111495,308.0308919873324,278.78672720157084,74.19828428468111,38.96925152158482,299.03962485015035,291.3881918734901,316.40581531621797,278.84431794521015,205.19547954294802,321.24952588612155,301.2795311175657,"EOT20","1992-01-01T00:00:00Z",[109,114,119,123,126,129,133,136,139,142],{"name":110,"description":111,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Tidal currents between islands","Strong tidal flows pass between the islands, especially around Big Island and Flinders Islet. Can sweep snorkelers away from their vessel.","warning",null,{"name":115,"description":116,"severity":112,"season_start":117,"season_end":118},"Swell and wind chop","The Tasman Sea swell can produce sudden large waves and shore break against the rocky islet edges.",6,12,{"name":120,"description":121,"severity":122,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Sharp reef and rocky ledges","Limited safe landing points; rocky fringing reefs with jagged edges and sea urchins.","caution",{"name":124,"description":125,"severity":122,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Boat traffic","Marine tour vessels and recreational boat traffic in the waters around Port Kembla.",{"name":127,"description":128,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Legal restrictions — no public access to islands","The reserve is closed to public landing. Entering closed areas or disturbing wildlife carries fines.",{"name":130,"description":131,"severity":112,"season_start":117,"season_end":132},"Open ocean swells","Exposed to ocean swell from the Tasman Sea, creating surging conditions around the island and challenging entry\u002Fexits from boats.",8,{"name":134,"description":135,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Strong currents","Ocean currents can sweep around the island unexpectedly, especially on an outgoing tide.",{"name":137,"description":138,"severity":122,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Cold water temperature","Water temps range 16–20°C year-round, requiring a thick wetsuit (5-7mm) for comfort and safety.",{"name":140,"description":141,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Remote location","No facilities or shelter on the island; boat access only. Any injury or gear failure requires a boat trip back to Port Kembla.",{"name":143,"description":144,"severity":122,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Marine wildlife interactions","While generally playful, fur seals are wild animals and may become defensive if cornered or if pups are present. Highest risk during pupping season (summer).",{"directions":146,"parking":147,"facilities":148,"fees":151,"access_method":152},"Located 0.5–3.5 km east of Port Kembla, Wollongong. Access is by private boat only — launch from Port Kembla Boat Ramp (91 Foreshore Rd). No public access allowed on the islands themselves; snorkeling is in the surrounding waters only.","Limited parking available near the boat ramp on Foreshore Rd, Port Kembla.",[149,150],"parking","boat_ramp","No fees for boating access, but a valid NSW marine park fishing permit may apply.","boat","2026-07-27T02:54:54.465539Z","2026-08-04T05:30:44.786365Z",{"verdict":156,"evaluated_at":157,"models":158},"go","2026-10-03T02:15:27.776146Z",[159,166,171],{"model_name":160,"is_favourable":161,"value":162,"threshold":163,"unit":164,"operator":165},"Wind Speed",true,1.19,10,"kn","lte",{"model_name":167,"is_favourable":161,"value":168,"threshold":169,"unit":170,"operator":165},"Wave Height",0.287,0.5,"m",{"model_name":172,"is_favourable":173,"value":174,"threshold":40,"unit":175,"operator":176},"Visibility",false,0.99,"","gte",{"verdict":156,"rating":178,"evaluated_at":157,"generated_at":157,"source":179,"confidence":180,"visibility":183,"parameters":184,"models_passed":43,"models_total":198},"Good","precomputed",{"level":181,"value":182},"High",100,{"score":174,"rating":113,"confidence":113},[185,187,191,194,200],{"name":167,"value":186,"label":113,"unit":170,"favourable":161,"score":43,"optimal_max":169,"marginal_max":36},0.28737423857251027,{"name":188,"value":189,"label":113,"unit":190,"favourable":161,"score":43,"optimal_max":132,"marginal_max":118},"Swell Period",6.45,"s",{"name":160,"value":192,"label":113,"unit":164,"favourable":161,"score":43,"optimal_max":163,"marginal_max":193},1.19157392,15,{"name":195,"value":196,"label":113,"unit":197,"favourable":173,"score":36,"optimal_max":198,"marginal_max":199},"Precipitation",18.5,"mm",5,20,{"name":201,"value":113,"label":202,"unit":175,"favourable":173,"score":36,"optimal_max":113,"marginal_max":113},"Tidal Phase","flood",[204],{"id":205,"image_url":13,"sort_order":5,"is_primary":161,"moderation_status":206,"license":207,"license_url":208,"attribution":209,"author_name":210},"bcd0c5d3-ce51-423b-b02b-7b3c8e77f63d","approved","CC0","https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Fpublicdomain\u002Fzero\u002F1.0\u002F","Photo by Mx. Granger","Mx. Granger",{"display_name":212},"Daniel","unverified",1791009152632]