You can find large colonies of sea lions in a few different spots around the Coral Coast of Western Australia (WA). You might be able to spot some in the Jurien Bay Marine Park, however for the best opportunity to swim with them you should book onto a snorkelling tour with Turquoise Safaris in Jurien Bay. In this blog post I will share all my top tips on how to swim with sea lions in Western Australia.
Jurien Bay is located in Western Australia about 2.5 hours north of Perth.
Turquoise safaris will bring you by boat about 15 minutes from the mainland to the nearby islands where the sea lions live. (it’s rare to see them by the mainland). The islands are protected land so you are not allowed within 10 metres of the island however that isn’t a problem as the sea lions will come to you and you can still stand up in the water.
When you arrive you will be able to see the sea lions sunbathing on the island, when they see the boat they will know that is playtime and these curious creatures will slip into the crystal clear turquoise waters to investigate.
The water is quite cold, especially when you have over two hours to play with the puppies of the sea! Fortunately Turquoise Safaris provide wet suits, however sea lions are attracted by bright colours so if you are prepared to brave the cold make sure you don your most colourful swimwear!
Sea lions love to PLAY so make sure you keep them engaged by playing with them! This involves blowing bubbles and doing somersaults under water. I spun around in the water and had a sea lion copy me!
After swimming around for a few hours with the playful sea lions Turquoise safaris will have warm drinks waiting for you on board before taking you back to Jurien Bay.
You can also find Sea Lions on the Abrolhos Islands, the Dongara-Port Denison beaches and to the west of Rottnest Island. If you’re after a closer encounter I would suggest a boat tour either from Jurien Bay or Green Head. Turquoise safaris offer 2 tours each morning from Jurien Bay, make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Big thanks to Bernd from my tour for these amazing underwater pictures!
I hope you have an amazing time swimming with sea lions, they really are the most playful animals in the sea!
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