Watson's Bay (also known as Mrs Watson's Bay) is a stunning sheltered anchorage on the western side of Lizard Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Far North Queensland. This calm, turquoise bay is famous for the iconic 'Clam Gardens' — a shallow patch reef teeming with giant clams, coral bommies, and abundant reef fish just metres from the beach. The fringing reef offers easy shore-entry snorkeling with crystal-clear waters, making it one of the top snorkeling destinations in the Lizard Island group.
Watson's Bay
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Wave Height 0.0 mSwell Period 6.3 sWind Speed 2.1 knPrecipitation 0.7 mmTidal Phase flood
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Community contribution: submitted by Daniel
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Moderate risk: Marine stingers
Stinger season in North Queensland brings marine stingers (box jellyfish and Irukandji) which may be present in the bay.
Low risk: Wet season storms
The bay is sheltered from the trade winds, but during the wet season occasional strong winds and storms can reduce visibility and create choppy conditions.
Low risk: Shallow coral bommies
Shallow coral bommies and patch reefs near the Clam Gardens can cause scrapes or cuts if swimmers are not careful.
Wildlife Guide
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Gallery
1 photo from the community
Getting in
Shore entry
Entry
Located on the western side of Lizard Island, approximately 100 km north of Cooktown, North QLD. Accessible by private boat or via scenic flights from Cairns or Cooktown to Lizard Island Resort.
Parking & facilities
No public parking — Lizard Island is a private island resort. Guests arrive by air or boat transfer arranged by the resort.
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About this data
- Conditions last evaluated
- Spot data last updated
- Data sources
- Open-Meteo (marine & weather conditions), tide predictions via UTide, community contributors (descriptions, hazards, marine life).
- License
- Spot content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. How's the Spot is open source.
Weather & swell ┬╖ Open-Meteo marine & weather APIs Tides ┬╖ UTide harmonic analysis Sea & safety ┬╖ community reports