[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":197},["ShallowReactive",2],{"leaderboard-total":3,"spot-seo-the-gulch-keppel-islands":9,"spot-the-gulch-keppel-islands":51},{"entries":4,"total":5,"period":6,"type":7,"generated_at":8},[],0,"all_time","reports","2026-10-02T06:59:37.379659Z",{"title":10,"description":11,"canonical_url":12,"og_image":13,"structured_data":14,"breadcrumbs":44},"Snorkeling Conditions at The Gulch (Keppel Islands) - How's the Spot","Check snorkeling conditions at The Gulch (Keppel Islands), Queensland. Excellent conditions, water 22.8°C, waves 0.02m","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.com\u002Fspots\u002Fthe-gulch-keppel-islands","https:\u002F\u002Fhowsthespot.syd1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\u002Fspots\u002Fimport_the-gulch-keppel-islands_0_c185d7589ad5.jpg",[15,28],{"@context":16,"@type":17,"name":18,"description":19,"url":12,"geo":20,"address":24},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org","Place","The Gulch (Keppel Islands)","The Gulch is a thrilling drift snorkel through the deep channel between Barren Island and Child Island, 7 km east of Great Keppel Island in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Strong tidal currents sw...",{"@type":21,"latitude":22,"longitude":23},"GeoCoordinates",-23.178396,150.948189,{"@type":25,"addressRegion":26,"addressCountry":27},"PostalAddress","Queensland","Australia",{"@context":16,"@type":29,"name":30,"description":11,"url":12,"breadcrumb":31},"WebPage","Snorkeling Conditions at The Gulch (Keppel Islands)",{"@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=queensland",{"@type":35,"position":43,"name":18,"item":12},3,[45,47,49],{"label":37,"href":46},"\u002F",{"label":26,"href":48},"\u002Fexplore?region=queensland",{"label":18,"href":50},"\u002Fspots\u002Fthe-gulch-keppel-islands",{"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":127,"area_boundary":113,"routes":113,"created_at":134,"updated_at":135,"today_conditions":136,"today_verdict_view":157,"images":186,"submitted_by":194,"region_name":26,"verification_status":196,"verified_at":113,"disputed":184,"verifier_count":5,"last_verified_display_name":113},"097be648-8410-4c4a-874c-e5290a27cb55","the-gulch-keppel-islands","The Gulch is a thrilling drift snorkel through the deep channel between Barren Island and Child Island, 7 km east of Great Keppel Island in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Strong tidal currents sweep through this narrow passage, attracting large pelagic schools and making it one of the most exhilarating snorkel and dive sites in the Keppels. The channel's rocky bottom is lined with colourful fringing coral reefs, while the deeper waters draw Spanish mackerel, tuna, trevally, and the occasional manta ray or wobbegong shark. This is a spot for confident swimmers seeking big marine encounters in a wild, open-ocean setting.","advanced","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],0.04590978512778843,0.021839710665135532,0.3042402757413771,0.1486743635963029,1.4306376863319692,0.008796413400563644,0.004203881690557194,0.0036069637593138916,0.3126723926550474,0.15220090616052018,0.08719869190650006,0.023946003244775988,0.01251466432976881,0.4689886006275524,0.026791106478884406,[91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105],324.5400198089711,36.086625140696356,13.829444644581304,347.33760741645307,355.67742466676793,8.177813132863614,15.57693635829962,111.93423131778017,345.6670588600527,345.62112741260546,10.021990915539027,309.09474682971427,313.6310381081235,354.6823782796175,330.4925034691945,"EOT20","1992-01-01T00:00:00Z",[109,114,118,121,124],{"name":110,"description":111,"severity":112,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Strong tidal currents","The Gulch is a narrow channel between islands where tidal flows can produce strong, unpredictable currents. Best suited as a drift snorkel or dive.","warning",null,{"name":115,"description":116,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Boat traffic","The channel is traversed by private boats, charter vessels, and dive tenders. Snorkelers must remain vigilant and surface with care.","caution",{"name":119,"description":120,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Remote location","The Gulch is located 7 km east of Great Keppel Island and requires boat access. Remote from shore with no immediate emergency services.",{"name":122,"description":123,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Marine stingers","Stinging jellyfish (including box jellyfish) may be present in the Southern Great Barrier Reef during the warmer months (Nov-May).",{"name":125,"description":126,"severity":117,"season_start":113,"season_end":113},"Deep water channel","Deeper water in the channel (up to 30m) increases risk for less experienced snorkelers and divers.",{"directions":128,"parking":129,"facilities":130,"fees":132,"access_method":133},"From Yeppoon (35 min drive from Rockhampton), take a 30-min ferry from Rosslyn Bay Marina to Great Keppel Island. The Gulch is the channel between Barren Island and Child Island, about 7 km east of Great Keppel Island — accessible by private boat, charter, or guided tour.","Free long-term parking and secure paid parking available at Rosslyn Bay Marina car parks.",[131],"parking","Ferry services (Freedom Fastcats or Keppel Konnections) charge ~$55-70 AUD return to Great Keppel Island. Private boat access requires a Queensland marine park permit. Public moorings available nearby","boat","2026-07-27T02:54:02.448014Z","2026-08-04T05:30:44.786416Z",{"verdict":137,"evaluated_at":138,"models":139},"go","2026-10-02T02:20:31.773240Z",[140,147,152],{"model_name":141,"is_favourable":142,"value":143,"threshold":144,"unit":145,"operator":146},"Wind Speed",true,1.22,10,"kn","lte",{"model_name":148,"is_favourable":142,"value":149,"threshold":150,"unit":151,"operator":146},"Wave Height",0.02,0.5,"m",{"model_name":153,"is_favourable":142,"value":154,"threshold":40,"unit":155,"operator":156},"Visibility",2.55,"","gte",{"verdict":137,"rating":158,"evaluated_at":138,"generated_at":138,"source":159,"confidence":160,"visibility":163,"parameters":164,"models_passed":185,"models_total":179},"Excellent","precomputed",{"level":161,"value":162},"High",100,{"score":154,"rating":113,"confidence":113},[165,167,172,175,181],{"name":148,"value":166,"label":113,"unit":151,"favourable":142,"score":43,"optimal_max":150,"marginal_max":36},0.020000000000000004,{"name":168,"value":154,"label":113,"unit":169,"favourable":142,"score":43,"optimal_max":170,"marginal_max":171},"Swell Period","s",8,12,{"name":141,"value":173,"label":113,"unit":145,"favourable":142,"score":43,"optimal_max":144,"marginal_max":174},1.2246192,15,{"name":176,"value":177,"label":113,"unit":178,"favourable":142,"score":43,"optimal_max":179,"marginal_max":180},"Precipitation",3.8,"mm",5,20,{"name":182,"value":113,"label":183,"unit":155,"favourable":184,"score":36,"optimal_max":113,"marginal_max":113},"Tidal Phase","flood",false,4,[187],{"id":188,"image_url":13,"sort_order":5,"is_primary":142,"moderation_status":189,"license":190,"license_url":191,"attribution":192,"author_name":193},"8941773d-608d-480f-8af3-3ea888571655","approved","CC BY-SA 4.0","https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F4.0\u002F","Photo by Holobionics","Holobionics",{"display_name":195},"Daniel","unverified",1790924508683]