Itinerary

For our more adventurous visitors, we conduct a Snorkelling Tour at Balls Pyramid.

Enjoy a scenic island cruise on our vessel, Reef N Beyond, as your tour guide provides an educational presentation on the natural beauty of Lord Howe Island and our World Heritage values. Journey beneath the awe-inspiring Mt Lidgbird and Gower and take in the splendour of Balls Pyramid, the world’s tallest rock stack (551m) as you arrive at your adventure destination.

Snorkel through mesmerising schools of trevally, kingfish, pacific drummer, wahoo and turtles as you immerse yourself in this untouched environment.

For this adventure, you need to have both reasonable fitness and swimming ability.

jumping-in-balls-pyramid-tour

The Scooters

Aqua scooters are an additional extra. Why not add a personal watercraft and provide a safe and enjoyable way to get more out of your snorkelling experience. With an aqua scooter, the underwater world becomes more accessible – allowing you to safely snorkel at more locations and cover a greater distance while exploring the reef! And because they float even inexperienced snorkelers can feel confident discovering the underwater world with an aqua scooter. Wetsuits, fins, masks, and snorkels are all provided.

shark-sighting-underwater-scooter-lord-howe-island

The Science

At the end of your tour, hot drinks and homemade baked treats will be waiting for you at the shed, where you will have a full debrief with the crew. You will also be asked to participate in a citizen science survey – ‘Reef Report’ – which provides useful information on the condition of the reefs so that they may be monitored. Your input will help ensure the reefs around Lord Howe Island remain pristine.

adventure-seekers-balls-pyramid-lord-howe-island

Lord Howe Island is often referred the ‘Galapagos of Australia’, and on a Guided Aqua Scooter Tour you are guaranteed to experience the best natural beauty it has to offer, above, below and beyond the reef

Tour Details

Tour Size: Small groups (maximum 22 people)
Duration: 4 hours
What to Bring: Hat, sunscreen, towel, camera, water bottle and spray jacket
Inclusions: Wetsuit and snorkelling gear will be provided. Morning or afternoon tea will also be supplied upon return.
Departure from: The Jetty
Departure time: To be confirmed upon booking
Cost: $180 AUD per person

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Ball’s Pyramid & Lord Howe Island

Amazing experience. My jaw dropped when I saw Ball’s Pyramid. So majestic. Captain Dave is fantastic - experienced, you feel extremely safe and in good hands. Boat is wonderful. It was awesome to go around Lord Howe - such a different perspective. Lot’s of big waves breaking - very cool stuff to see. Oh and Dolphins riding your side on the way back from Ball’s Pyramid..!

Themania

Tours
5.0
2019-08-10T23:51:47+00:00

Themania

Amazing experience. My jaw dropped when I saw Ball’s Pyramid. So majestic. Captain Dave is fantastic - experienced, you feel extremely safe and in good hands. Boat is wonderful. It was awesome to go around Lord Howe - such a different perspective. Lot’s of big waves breaking - very cool stuff to see. Oh and Dolphins riding your side on the way back from Ball’s Pyramid..!

Above & Beyond

I cannot rave or recommend this company for a boat tour of lovely Lord Howe Island enough! Blessed with a cracker of a day, weather-wise, on Anzac Day off we set off to tour around Lord Howe and beyond to Ball’s Pyramid and The Admiralty Islands with Dave Gardiner and “Pommy” Michael. These two gentlemen are amazing – they kept us informed and amused for hours. Dave is a wealth of knowledge on everything you’ll experience on this fantastic tour – the history, the landscape, the sea life, the bird life, the geology – you name it, Dave has all the fascinating facts and information. He’s also a keen photographer so he’s always happy to position the boat so you get great composition for your happy snaps. I was also impressed with the way Dave ensures both sides of the boat get the opportunity to view each and every scene and that Michael took the time to photograph everyone, using their camera/phone to take a portrait in front of Ball’s Pyramid. It’s the little things that can make all the difference. The boat is so comfortable, which is important when you’re spending hours aboard and sometimes having to endure a few bumps now and then – especially great for those of us with bad lower backs. At no time did I feel uncomfortable or seasick. The tour itself will have you viewing the most spectacular, naturally beautiful spots around the area you’ll be amazed at how many hundreds of photos you’ll take. The Admiralty Islands are so picturesque with the landscape changing at every turn. Ball’s Pyramid and surrounds is a haven for birds – the place almost looks mythical. If conditions are right, you’ll get the chance to snorkel off the boat around Ball’s Pyramid, which was an awesome experience. The water was warm and we got to see a flute fish, Galapagos shark, yellow drummer and some saw a turtle – among the hundreds of species of fish also here. Even after docking, the tour continues – with morning tea and homemade cake back at the shed. My husband and I loved every single minute of this tour and would highly recommend it – I can’t remember a more totally enjoyable experience on a tour as I did on this one. Book it now!

Gardengirl2112

Tours
5.0
2019-08-10T23:59:29+00:00

Gardengirl2112

I cannot rave or recommend this company for a boat tour of lovely Lord Howe Island enough! Blessed with a cracker of a day, weather-wise, on Anzac Day off we set off to tour around Lord Howe and beyond to Ball’s Pyramid and The Admiralty Islands with Dave Gardiner and “Pommy” Michael. These two gentlemen are amazing – they kept us informed and amused for hours. Dave is a wealth of knowledge on everything you’ll experience on this fantastic tour – the history, the landscape, the sea life, the bird life, the geology – you name it, Dave has all the fascinating facts and information. He’s also a keen photographer so he’s always happy to position the boat so you get great composition for your happy snaps. I was also impressed with the way Dave ensures both sides of the boat get the opportunity to view each and every scene and that Michael took the time to photograph everyone, using their camera/phone to take a portrait in front of Ball’s Pyramid. It’s the little things that can make all the difference. The boat is so comfortable, which is important when you’re spending hours aboard and sometimes having to endure a few bumps now and then – especially great for those of us with bad lower backs. At no time did I feel uncomfortable or seasick. The tour itself will have you viewing the most spectacular, naturally beautiful spots around the area you’ll be amazed at how many hundreds of photos you’ll take. The Admiralty Islands are so picturesque with the landscape changing at every turn. Ball’s Pyramid and surrounds is a haven for birds – the place almost looks mythical. If conditions are right, you’ll get the chance to snorkel off the boat around Ball’s Pyramid, which was an awesome...

Fantastic trip!

Fantastic outer reef snorkelling trip using aqua scooters in waters below Mt Lidgbird. Majestic coral formations and the odd friendly shark. Greenback were great, friendly & knowledgeable people, excited to show us the wondrous waters.

Liz Mendes

Tours
5.0
2017-12-11T03:53:25+00:00

Liz Mendes

Fantastic outer reef snorkelling trip using aqua scooters in waters below Mt Lidgbird. Majestic coral formations and the odd friendly shark. Greenback were great, friendly & knowledgeable people, excited to show us the wondrous waters.

Boat Trip to Ball’s Pyramid

This was our second visit to LHI and our second boat experience with Dave, Both of which were excellent . We loved the boat ride to Balls Pyramid , Dave was informative re history, bird life etc Balls Pyramid is amazing and a not to be missed experience, Thank you for a fantastic experience both Dave & Glenys

Ostephs

Tours
5.0
2019-08-10T23:49:31+00:00

Ostephs

This was our second visit to LHI and our second boat experience with Dave, Both of which were excellent . We loved the boat ride to Balls Pyramid , Dave was informative re history, bird life etc Balls Pyramid is amazing and a not to be missed experience, Thank you for a fantastic experience both Dave & Glenys

Amazing – a definite must do!

Dave ensured we had the best possible time, providing a completely tailored, friendly and fun (with a dash of education) experience. Not to mention the James Bond-esque style scooters - I'm so spoilt now I wouldn't want to snorkel without one! Thanks again to Dave, his lovely wife Glenys and our co-guide Caitlyn.. we had a ball.

Sonia Chalk

Tours
5.0
2017-12-11T03:41:29+00:00

Sonia Chalk

Dave ensured we had the best possible time, providing a completely tailored, friendly and fun (with a dash of education) experience. Not to mention the James Bond-esque style scooters - I'm so spoilt now I wouldn't want to snorkel without one! Thanks again to Dave, his lovely wife Glenys and our co-guide Caitlyn.. we had a ball.

Boat Trip to Ball’s Pyramid LHI

Great boat ride, very informative trip about the pyramid's history, adventure and climbing, geology and bird life. Excellent value for the money. The captain and wife were very helpful, answered all questions and provided very good printed information about the climb attempts on Balls Pyramid. The trip around LHI itself was magnificent. Recommend it to all



Tramping

Tours
5.0
2019-08-10T23:56:36+00:00

Tramping

Great boat ride, very informative trip about the pyramid's history, adventure and climbing, geology and bird life. Excellent value for the money. The captain and wife were very helpful, answered all questions and provided very good printed information about the climb attempts on Balls Pyramid. The trip around LHI itself was magnificent. Recommend it to all

Must Do Boat Trip

This was a great experience to see the 'outside' of Lord Howe Island that many people wouldn't normally do and we highly recommend it. My husband and I enjoyed our tour around Lord Howe Island on their amazing boat despite haphazard weather. Following a safety briefing by Dave we set off and visited the spectacular caves and cliffs on the outside of the Island below Mt Eliza. The water was an amazing cerulean colour in the caves. We could see amazing fault lines running the full length of the cliffs too - the geological formations were quite impressive. We then went over to the Admiralty Islands and toured these too. Normally the tour would head straight down to Balls Pyramid but because of a squall Dave took us back to the jetty to have coffee and chocolate chip cookies to let it ride out. We then boarded the boat again and headed to Mt Gower to see the tallest sea cliffs in Australia. Simply amazing. Unfortunately our trip to Balls Pyramid was not meant to be as the ocean chop was too much and not safe - we got to see Balls in the distance - and turned around and headed for home. Dave and Glenys very generously gave us a significant refund because they couldn't complete the tour which we were not expecting. They were lovely hosts who made the trip fun - but most importantly safe for us all.

Anita B

Tours
5.0
2019-08-11T00:01:28+00:00

Anita B

This was a great experience to see the 'outside' of Lord Howe Island that many people wouldn't normally do and we highly recommend it. My husband and I enjoyed our tour around Lord Howe Island on their amazing boat despite haphazard weather. Following a safety briefing by Dave we set off and visited the spectacular caves and cliffs on the outside of the Island below Mt Eliza. The water was an amazing cerulean colour in the caves. We could see amazing fault lines running the full length of the cliffs too - the geological formations were quite impressive. We then went over to the Admiralty Islands and toured these too. Normally the tour would head straight down to Balls Pyramid but because of a squall Dave took us back to the jetty to have coffee and chocolate chip cookies to let it ride out. We then boarded the boat again and headed to Mt Gower to see the tallest sea cliffs in Australia. Simply amazing. Unfortunately our trip to Balls Pyramid was not meant to be as the ocean chop was too much and not safe - we got to see Balls in the distance - and turned around and headed for home. Dave and Glenys very generously gave us a significant refund because they couldn't complete the tour which we were not expecting. They were lovely hosts who made the trip fun - but most importantly safe for us all.
5.0
7