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With some of the best South Australian coastlines and beaches, the Yorke Peninsula, situated to the north-west of Adelaide, has so many incredible water activities to do.
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Whether you are just here for the day or exploring on a road trip, here are the best things to do in the Yorke Peninsula to get you on the water and enjoy the water activities on offer:
1. Port Vincent Boat Hire
There are not many boat hire locations in South Australia, so make the most of this one! Hiring a boat saves you the hassle of taking your own and is one of the best water activities to go out on the water and enjoy your personal itinerary.
Located at Port Vincent Auto & Tyre Services, there are 3 fibreglass hire boats to choose from at good, affordable prices. Enjoy the views around Port Vincent or take the opportunity to go and chase snapper with a fish finder, burley pots and crabs nets all available on request. All safety equipment, including personal flotation devices, are provided.
A boat licence is required for hire and booking early is advisable.
2. Port Vincent Kayak and Stand Up Paddleboard Hire
***Unfortunately Port Vincent Kayak and Stand Up Paddleboard hire is no longer in operation***
Port Vincent Outdoors provides a range of kayaks, stand up paddleboards, fishing equipment and even a floating pontoon available for hire. Located just a short walk away from the beach, there is no excuse to not get out there and enjoy the gorgeous waters around the bay.
Personal floatation devices are available and booking is advised.
3. Port Vincent Foreshore Caravan Park Hire
This great caravan park also provides the opportunity to hire water activity equipment. Single and double kayaks along with stand up paddleboards are available with personal floatation devices supplier. Conveniently on the Port Vincent beachfront provides easy access to and from the water.
Check out their website for more.
4. Kayak Hire and Paddle Board Hire at Wallaroo Marina Apartments
These gorgeous apartments, located right on the waterfront at Wallaroo Marina, not only are a great place to stay, but also hire equipment for water activities for the public, for everyone to enjoy. Both kayaks and paddleboards are available to explore the views of the Marina, or head to North Beach to take in some Yorke Peninsula coastline.
5. Wateroo & Splash Town Water Park
Wateroo is a great, free water activity, situated at Wallaroo and ideal for everyone who loves being in the water. It provides a safe swimming enclosure for everyone visiting the Cooper Coast, whether you just want to cool off, or burn some serious calories!
Watch this cute little video to show how it looks, and don’t miss Splash Town water park at Moonta Bay for more water fun in the sun!
6. Scuba Diving and Snorkelling
The Yorke Peninsula has some of South Australia’s most pristine waters which are ideal for scuba diving and snorkelling.
It is a key diving area with shipwrecks and underwater dive trails waiting to be explored. Find out more from these 3 articles, highlighting the best places to dive and snorkel in the Yorke Peninsula – Yorke Peninsula, Visit Yorke Peninsula and the Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia.
Many scuba diving trips leave Adelaide to explore the Gulf waters. Check out these few that are passionate about what the Yorke Peninsula has to offer:
7. Surfing
The Yorke Peninsula has some of Australia’s best surf. It attracts surfers from all over the world. Daly Head is now a National Surfing Reserve, the first for Australia’s southern coast. Pondalowie Bay and Berry Bay are favourites with the locals. Ssshhhh!
Here’s a map of the best Yorke Peninsula surf spots or at the Yorke Peninsula website.
If you are just starting out and learning to surf, Neptunes Surf Coaching is a great place to begin, located at Corny Point. Or Surf and Sun offer Yorke Peninsula Surf Camps over a weekend to really get your confidence on those waves.
For even more inspiration, check out this awesome video from the very talented @kanechenoweth that will leave you wanting to grab your surfboard and head over to the Yorke Peninsula in a heartbeat!
8. Yorke Peninsula Kite Surfing School
As well as surfing, the winds around the entire coast of Yorke Peninsula give great conditions for Kite Surfing. YP Kite Surfing School, situated in Ardrossan offer lessons all summer, but you’ll catch many enthusiasts all year round doing what they love the most.
YP Kite Surfing School claim that their lessons will change your life and it does look like so much fun. So are you ready to tick this off your bucket list?
Check out their Facebook page for more.
9. Learn to Sail at Port Vincent Sailing Club
Sailing is known to be an invigorating and rewarding water activity to enjoy and local clubs in Yorke Peninsula often invite guests and tourists to participate.
Port Vincent sail every Sunday afternoon and visitors are always welcome. There is an hour from noon for those wanting to learn to sail, would like a ride on a yacht or just have a quiet drink whilst everyone else does the hard work! Races start at 2pm where you can enjoy the view from their club balcony overlooking the bay.
All training and events are weather permitting.
Find out more on their website.
10. Fishing and Fishing Charters in Yorke Peninsula
Last, but no mean least, are the popular fishing spots and fishing charters around the Yorke Peninsula. The waters around the Yorke Peninsula offer some of the best fishing in South Australia and we bet you’ll find it hard to not get that catch of the day!
Ardrossan is a known Yorke Peninsula fishing spot for snapper, King George whiting, mullet, flathead, snook and garfish. And this is about to get a whole lot better. In 2017, Ardrossan welcomed the first artificial shellfish reef to be built in South Australia, attracting even more popular fish species.
The Visit Yorke Peninsula website offers information about beach fishing, crabbing, jetties, boat ramps and also a well-researched Fishing Guide on everything you need to know about the Yorke Peninsula.
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding Yorke Peninsula fishing charters. Here are some of the options (in alphabetical order):
- Balgowan Charters – located in Balgowan
- Big Red Fishing Charters – located in Balgowan
- Marion Bay Fishing Charters – located in Marion Bay
- Reef Encounters Fishing Charters – located in Marion Bay & Pondalowie Bay
- Reel Action Fishing Charters – located in Marion Bay
- Real Screamer Fishing Charters – located in Point Turton
- Port Hughes Fishing Charters – located in Port Hughes
You know when the locals make the trip to the Yorke Peninsula for their fishing charters, they must be good!
Whichever way you decide to get on the water in the Yorke Peninsula, make sure you stay safe, wear a personal flotation device where applicable and slip, slap, slop!
Are you also heading over to the Eyre Peninsula? Check out these amazing 21 water adventures to do including shark cage diving, swimming with sea lions, boat hire, kayaking and fishing charters near Port Lincoln and surrounding areas.
Drop us a comment and let us know what your favourite Yorke Peninsula water activities are, as we’d love to know what everyone gets up to!
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