WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FREEDIVE WITH SEALS
Image by Rachel Lee
FREEDIVING WITH SEALS AT MONTAGUE ISLAND
Freediving with the seals at Montague Island is one of the best wildlife experience in Australia, and you should get it on your Aussie bucketlist immediately. Montague Island is home to huge numbers of Australian fur seals, a.k.a. the puppies of the sea. It’s easily accessible by boat from Narooma.
Ove the years we’ve been lucky enough to freedive with seals in Narooma several times. I wrote this post after the first trip I ever took there, in the wake of 2020 lockdown with a group of new freediving friends.
NAROOMA AND MONTAGUE ISLAND
Narooma is a coastal town on the NSW South Coast, about 5 hours south of Sydney by car. It sits at the Wagonga inlet and is known for beautiful inlet beaches, diving, fishing and golf (Yep). It’s also well known as the best access point for Montague Island.
Montague Island is a Nature Reserve with a long history as a sacred place for the Yuin people. It’s popular as a place to visit for birdwatching and swimming with the seals. You can explore the island and even stay at the cottages by the lighthouse if you get organised.
Image by Rachel Lee
The drive from Sydney down to Narooma has so many spots on the way, you might as well give yourself a day (or a few days) to stop off for some of the hikes, forests, beaches and towns on the way down. The area has had a rough few years with lockdowns, fires and extreme weather. So take your empty esky when you go, and enjoy the amazing products and services coming from this beautiful region.
Here is some more inspiration for places to visit on your way down, from other blogs I love:
Perfect Day on the South Coast – We are Explorers
Weekend Trips from Sydney: Wollongong – Jessica Pascoe
THE BOAT
Images by Olimpia Newlove and Susan Rajska
Images by Olimpia Newlove and Susan Rajska
We met our boat at 8am and got suited up in our freediving wetsuits. Montague Island is about a 30 min boat ride from the harbour in Narooma, and on the way to the island we saw huge stingrays and breaching humpback whales. Olivia and Norm from Narooma Charters chatted to us about the seal colonies, and how to tell the difference between the Australian fur seals and the New Zealand fur seal.
Once anchored up, we had about 2 hours at the island. If we wanted a break from the freediving with seals, we could get back on the boat for hot soup and a rest.
Image by Dylan Clarke
We genuinely could not have asked for better company than with Olivia and Norm. They kept us super safe, had amazing knowledge about the seal colonies, and took every opportunity to slow down for wildlife in the water. While we were on the boat ride we saw breaching humpback whales, and the first pod of false killer whales I’ve ever seen. Norm even stopped the boat to turn around and collect a foil wrapper that flew off the boat into the sea. That might not get you off quite as much as a group of freedivers, but it showed that the team have a lot of respect for their environment.
If you’re keen to book a trip too, keep reading for tips.
FREEDIVING WITH THE SEALS
Photo by Dylan Clarke
There. Were. SO. MANY. SEALS – in the water and up on the island. It took everything in me not to try to wrap my arms around one and squish it. Clearly, every interaction with a seal is incredible. But I was not prepared for the number of seals at Montague and their level of interaction.
Image by Anne Leroy
The water where we anchored up is only 5-12 metres deep, and we had around 10 metres of visibility on the day. This meant that we could always see the seals, and all of we could dive down and watch them overhead. We also saw loads of huge rays and Port Jackson sharks (getting tormented by little seals). So, on the off chance that seals become boring for a second (spoiler alert: they don’t), there are other creatures to watch.
We were all finding that trying to keep up whilst freediving with seals was exhausting. If you plan to freedive at Montague, you may as well get comfortable with the idea that your breath hold will be significantly less. There is also the option to scuba dive with the seals. We saw tonnes of seals checking out the scuba divers and playing with their bubbles. With that said, all of us were stoked to have the freedom to splash, swim, take breaks and zip around.
Images by Rachel Lee
Is it a….. jellyfish?
Video by Olimpia Newlove
EXPLORING NAROOMA
Outside of the Montague Island trip, we found some other ways to keep ourselves busy during the weekend. In hindsight, we should have planned an extra day. But now you know better than we did.
Australia Rock – Image by Ewan Donnachie
Australia Rock at sunset as the moon rises
Glasshouse Rocks
Watch the giant stingrays at the harbour after the fishing boats return
Snorkel in the harbour to get up close with said stingrays (for the love of God, be careful of boats)
Rent a kayak or SUP to explore the inlet
Explore the beaches along the coastline
Watch the sunrise from the cliffs and the beaches
There are also plenty of little Airbnbs and guesthouses to stay in super close to the town and the harbour. It IS worth having a car to get around.
CONVINCED? COME AND JOIN US!
JOIN ONE OF OUR WEEKEND TRIPS TO FREEDIVE WITH SEALS
We’ve partnered up with Narooma Charters to a fun-packed weekend of freediving with seals at Montague Island.
WHAT TO BRING
A WARM wetsuit because the water is pretty cold. I would suggest going 5mm+. You can survive in a 3mm surf wetsuit, but you’ll be really really cold after a short time. Check with your boat charter company – they may rent wetsuits.
Mask, Snorkel and Fins
Weight – please only if you know how to use weight
Snacks – Diving is the hungriest sport of all time
Flask filled with hot drink (thank me later)
Something warm to put upon for the boat ride. Ideally something you don’t mind getting wet. The best thing on earth you can wear is a windproof change robe like this one.
GoPro – you’ll be so glad you did
Olimpia getting the shot, by Rachel Lee
WHEN TO GO
Best Whale Watching – June-July and September-October
Best Water Temperature – Feb-April
If you’re looking for more places to freedive in NSW, read my guide on the best freediving spots in Sydney for beginner freedivers.
I always appreciate thoughts and questions, so please leave a comment or get in touch with me here.
Bella - Immersia Freediving owner and head instructor