Jurien Bay Sea Lions
LOCATION Jurien Bay Western Australia
DEPTH 2-4 Meters
WATER TEMP 18-23 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Easy
This is an easy guided tour to an island not far from the mainland.
FEATURE
Google Map data © 2024 Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Landsat / Copernicus Maxar Technologies
Jurien Bay Sea Lions
LOCATION Jurien Bay, Western Australia
DEPTH 2-4 Meters
WATER TEMP 18-23 Degrees
DIFFICULTY Easy
This is an easy guided tour to an island not far from the mainland.
FEATURE
Rate It!
[adinserter block=”2″]
Jurien Bay Sea Lions
Join a guided tour to visit the Australian Sea Lions in the Jurien Bay Marine Park on Western Australia’s Coral Coast. They are very playful and will zip around you in the water and and somersault out of the water making this a fun and engaging snorkel.
What will I see?
- Australian Sea Lions
Getting There
Jurien Bay is about 2 hours north of Perth. Driving is the best way to get there, the roads are all sealed. There are no tours from Perth to Jurien Bay.
Where & How do you get in?
You will join your tour at the Jurien Bay Boat Harbour where you join a boat tour out to the islands inhabitted by the Sea Lions.
Recommended Gear
The tour company will provide wetsuits, mask, snorkel and fins.
Parking
Plenty of free parking is available at the Jurien Bay Harbour.
Costs / Permits
There are a couple of tour providers for the Jurien Bay sea lion tour and prices range from between $145 – $160 for adults.
We did our tour with the team from Turquoise Safaris and had a great time with the Sea Lions and found their equipment worked perfectly.
The information for each snorkel spot is provided by people who have snorkelled there. However, snorkelling conditions change daily. Please be aware that wind, swell, tides and cloud cover can all affect visibility and your experience in the water.
Disclosure: Please Note That Some Links In This Post May Be Affiliate Links, And At No Additional Cost To You, We Earn A Small Commission If You Make A Purchase. Commissions Go Toward Maintaining The Snorkel Spots Website.
Best Conditions
If you have the chance to go out early, that’s the way to go. There is less wind and the sea lions are more active first thing in the morning. If you would rather warmer conditions, you can do a later tour but the water might be a bit more lumpy and visibility slightly poorer.
Windy Map Instructions – Click on the icon in the top right to see other conditions such as swell, temperature, rain etc
Facilities
Facilities on board will depend on each individual tour company, but on our tour they provided a hot drink and snack to warm up after the snorkel.
Parking
Shade
Food & Drinks
Boat Ramp
About the Snorkel
Swimming with the sea lions at Jurien Bay is one of the best snorkelling experiences we have had. If you want an interactive experience in the water, this is it!
Despite going out in June, the weather was fine, and the wetsuits provided did their job keeping us warm. The boat stopped just off the coast of a small island and our group got into the water. It took a few minutes for the sea lions to come to us, but once they came out for a look it was a load of fun. They are curious and acrobatic. You can expect to come mask to nose with a sea lion so be prepared for a close encounter!
They dart between you, float past you just looking at you and the more you move around, the more they stay engaged. The water was probably only 3m deep, so it was easy to get down to their level and see what they were up to.
A couple of highlights for us were trying to get pictures of the sea lions only to have them come closer and closer to the point they had their nosed pretty much pressed against the camera. We also had one land on top of us as after it misjudged its landing after leaping into the air. For the record, when a sea lion lands you, it feels like a big wet pillow dropping on your head!
If you are in Perth and heading north, we can’t recommend this tour enough. Even if you are not a swimmer, watching from the boat would be a lot of fun. Because it is reasonably shallow, this is also a great experience for new snorkellers too.
Snorkel Spots Nearby
More Things To Do
- Swimming with Turtles in Australia - October 29, 2023
