Great Ocean Road kayaking: Apollo Bay seals by kayak tour review
Great Ocean Road kayaking tours from Apollo Bay allow you to go kayaking with seals in the Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary
Seals can be the most reliably excellent showmen along Australia’s coastline. Therefore, getting up close to them is invariably highly entertaining. And, just off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria , there’s the opportunity to do just that in a kayak.
Great Ocean Road kayaking tours from Apollo Bay head out to see a major Australian fur seal colony.
Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary on a Great Ocean Road kayaking tour
In Apollo Bay, Victoria, the Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary is designed to protect the fish found around two reefs that jut out of the ocean. But it’s what’s sitting on top of those reefs that Mark Kininmonth is interested in.
Mark has been running Apollo Bay Surf and Kayak’s Great Ocean Road kayaking tours for a decade and a half. They’re partly about the thrill ride of taking on the swell and breaking waves in a kayak, but the main attraction is getting up close to the Australian fur seals.
“They haul out here,” says Mark. “It’s where they come to rest, and they’re mainly adolescent males. The big boys are elsewhere, with plenty around Phillip Island.”
7 fantastic Great Ocean Road experiences
1. Crowd-beating reverse direction tour. 2. Surfing lessons in Anglesea. 3. Split Point Lighthouse climb. 4. Shockwave Zip-Coaster. 5. Guided wildlife walk. 6. Budj Bim National Park tour. 7. Great Ocean Road by motorbike.
Kayaking with seals in Apollo Bay, Victoria
This is why you don’t tend to see those other, less cute creatures that tend to regard fur seals as a delicious snack. The Apollo Bay seal colony is not a pupping colony as it’s full of awkward teenagers that can’t get laid. And it’s the pups that are the easy targets for sharks, rather than those who’ve already proved they can swim hundreds of kilometres from their birthplace.
The seals on this Apollo Bay kayaking tour are superb to watch. They’re grumpy, feisty and forever picking fights with each other. They look ridiculous when they heave their way down the rocks into the sea, and once in the water they leap around in high arcs like dolphins, warily check out whoever’s in the bobbing kayak.
They also sound like a bad-tempered hospital ward, grunting and barking and moaning without the faintest shred of decorum.
Pick the right Great Ocean Road tour from Melbourne
- For wildlife and nature focus: One day tour with koalas and guided forest walk.
- To beat the crowds: Reverse direction Great Ocean Road day tour.
- For adventure: Two day camping and surfing trip.
- For backpackers: One day highlights tour aimed at younger travellers.
- For exclusivity and flexibility: Private tour where you can pick the sights you want to see.
- For an extended trip: Three day Melbourne to Adelaide tour.
Kayaking with seals gets exciting
Soon after entering the shallows created by an arm of the reef, Mark says: “We’d better get out of here. They’re about to move.” This is just in time to witness something genuinely extraordinary.
Around 20 of the seals suddenly break into a galumph down the rocks, charging directly towards the kayaks. It’s not done in a threatening way – they’ve all just decided to go for a dip. They breach and dart all around the kayak, and are soon joined by a second wave. The whole scene is an absolute privilege to witness.
Apollo Bay kayaking tours on the Great Ocean Road
The kayaking with seals tours involve around 90 minutes of paddling and include instruction for beginners. The Marengo Reefs kayaking tours cost $90 and depart from the Great Ocean Road town of Apollo Bay.
Apollo Bay accommodation options include the cheap-and-cheerful Apollo Bay Eco YHA, the roomy Dolphin Apartments and the hilltop Beacon Point Ocean View Villas.
The Marengo Reefs kayaking tour can be included as part of a road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide. Other highlights of the Great Ocean Road include spotting koalas at Kennett River, seeing kangaroos on the Anglesea Golf Course and learning about surfing history in Torquay. Further along there are walks in Port Campbell and scenic flights over the Twelve Apostles, plus foodie discoveries in Timboon.
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