Diving in Narooma: The Complete Guide to Montague Island’s Seals, Sharks and Kelp Reefs

The fur seals are the headline experience of diving in Narooma, and they live up to it completely. A shallow section of reef in the marine park — known to operators as ‘the Aquarium’ — is the best spot to interact with them. Here, in water generally between 5 and 20 metres, Australian and New Zealand fur seals will often jump into the water in numbers to investigate and play with divers, twisting and darting and circling back. It’s an interaction, not a viewing — the seals are genuinely curious and frequently approach divers closely.

Because the seal sites are shallow and sheltered, this is a dive suitable for all certification levels, and even for first-timers via a Discover Scuba experience. The colony numbers swell to several hundred seals over the summer months, though seals are present year-round, making this a dependable dive in any season. The shallow depth and excellent light also make it ideal for underwater photography — bring a camera or hire a GoPro from the operator.

It suits just about everyone who can get in the water: certified divers on their fourth dive or their four-hundredth, Discover Scuba first-timers, and confident-swimmer snorkellers who share the same site from the surface. The one group it doesn’t suit is non-swimmers, and anyone uneasy in open water should build up to it.

The deeper sections around Montague Island are where certified divers find the bigger picture. Golden kelp beds sway over granite formations and drop-offs that hold rays — including large bull rays — wobbegongs, Port Jackson sharks, kingfish and, seasonally, grey nurse sharks. The terrain is dramatic and the marine life genuinely abundant; this is the dive that explains why Montague is rated among the best on the NSW coast rather than just a fun seal swim.

Because depth and current vary across these sites, they’re better suited to certified and more experienced divers than to first-timers. Operators choose the specific site on the day based on conditions, and typically offer single or double-dive trips — a double dive (two dives at different sites in one trip) is the popular choice, making the most of the boat journey out. Note that some operators run guided dives while others, for certified divers, are unguided, so check which applies when you book.

It suits confident, current-comfortable divers and underwater photographers chasing sharks and rays. Newer divers are far better served sticking to the shallow seal sites until they’ve built experience; if conditions turn, the skipper may keep everyone shallow regardless, which is exactly as it should be.

If scuba isn’t for you, snorkelling with the seals at Montague Island is an outstanding alternative — and for many visitors, just as memorable. Operators run dedicated snorkelling trips to the seal sites, where the shallow, clear water means you can watch and interact with the fur seals from the surface. The seals are every bit as curious about a snorkeller as a diver, so you lose surprisingly little by staying up top.

The key requirement is being a confident swimmer, as the water at the island can be 5 to 15 metres deep in places and conditions are open-water rather than a sheltered pool. Wetsuits and snorkelling gear are provided by operators. Snorkellers and divers are usually priced separately, and many trips take both, so mixed groups of divers and snorkellers can share the same boat and the same experience — a genuine advantage when only some of your group dives.

It suits confident-swimmer families, non-divers, and anyone who wants the seal encounter without the certification or the commitment of scuba. It doesn’t suit weak or nervous swimmers, who should build water confidence first — and on a rough day the skipper may call it, so keep your plans flexible.

You don’t need to be a certified diver to get in the water with the seals — and Narooma is genuinely a great place to learn. Underwater Safaris is Narooma’s dedicated PADI dive centre and the main place to learn locally, running the full range of recognised courses with qualified PADI Instructors and Dive Masters, and offering the priceless advantage of doing your training dives at Montague Island itself. Its 9-metre vessel is licensed for 16 passengers, and instructors and dive masters accompany every trip.

The pathway is clear. A Discover Scuba Dive is the entry point for absolute beginners — a supervised introduction, generally for ages 12 and up, that lets you dive with the seals at the shallow sites with no experience. The PADI Open Water Diver course is the first full qualification, certifying you to dive anywhere in the world; doing it here means learning among the seals and kelp. From there, continuing-education and advanced courses build your skills, and the PADI Divemaster course is the first level of professional training — so it’s possible to progress from your very first breath underwater to a dive-industry career in Narooma.

It suits first-timers, holidaymakers wanting to ‘try before they commit’, and aspiring professionals alike. Families are well catered for too: Underwater Safaris runs a ‘Squid Squad’ snorkelling school for kids daily at Bar Beach in season — a safe, fun way to get children comfortable in the water without scuba. Other Narooma charter operators also offer introductory dives; always confirm current course offerings and instructor credentials directly when booking.

Several operators run diving and snorkelling charters to Montague Island from Narooma harbour, and the right one depends on what you want. Underwater Safaris is Narooma’s dedicated PADI diving and snorkelling boat, offering dive courses, dive trips, snorkelling trips and the Squid Squad kids’ school; instructors and dive masters accompany every trip, and it’s a single-use-plastic-free operator that doesn’t run fishing tours. Narooma Charters runs dive charters and snorkel-with-the-seals trips on boats customised for diving (dive racks, twin entry/exit ladders, air fills) — note their dive tours are unguided, for certified divers.

Other charter and dive operators also service Montague Island from Narooma and nearby. The practical questions to compare are the same across all of them: guided versus unguided dives, single versus double dives, whether snorkel options run alongside diving, what gear is included, and the current price. As operators, schedules and pricing change, always confirm the current details directly before booking.

It suits everyone — but match the operator to your group. A guided trip and a PADI school suit beginners, first-timers and mixed dive/snorkel groups; an unguided dive charter suits experienced, self-sufficient certified divers. Arrive at the wharf around 15 minutes before departure, and build flexibility into your trip in case a day is blown out.