Do you think winter is boring? Think again. It’s the perfect time to get out on the ocean and explore our amazing marine environment. We were lucky to do this on a 90-minute sea adventure with Big Duck Tours starting from Granite Island, Victor Harbor.

We sped along the waves with the wind in our hair, stopping by Seal Island with its sea lions and long-nosed fur seals lazing on the rocks. Sea lions are endangered as historically they were hunted for their fur. But this area has been a marine park since 1972. 

Next, we cruised by Encounter Bay and saw several pods of bottlenose dolphins. These adorable creatures swam and played around the boat, delighting the crowd. The tour guide said that each dolphin eats around 25 kg of seafood per day, which is the equivalent to a person eating around 150 Big Macs per day. And they don’t even get fat. What a life!

Then we stopped at West Island, which was home to an array of birdlife and many fur seals, who waved their fins at us, waddled and sunned themselves on the rocks. The tour guide wowed us with weird and interesting facts — like how a fertilised egg in female fur seals can lay dormant for a time, so that they can delay giving birth until summer when there’s plenty of food around. Isn’t nature quirky and ingenious? 

We also travelled down Humpback Highway where southern right whales and humpback whales are often spotted during winter when they migrate to the southern coast to breed. Along this stretch were the Waitpinga Cliffs, which is a popular place for rock climbing and abseiling in the summer.

As we returned back to Granite Island, we saw a pod of short-beaked common dolphins, the ‘pocket rockets’ of the dolphin world. They’re smaller and faster than the bottlenoses, and can go up to 65 km/hour. They zoomed in and over the water, entertaining us and putting on a show.

This is a fantastic way to get out on the water, enjoy the fresh air and discover the beauty of the marine life and environment along the southern coast. To book a tour with Big Duck go to https://www.thebigduck.com.au/

By Carolyn J. Wild