SEALS & SEA LIONS
Seals are totally unafraid of humans and their antics are just amazing!
SPECIES DETAILS
AUSTRALIAN FUR SEAL
Scientific name:
Arctocephalus pusillus
Habitat:
Rocky islands, boulder or pebble beaches & sloping rocky ledges
Population:
Were several hundred thousand, now only 20,000
Conservation status:
Vulnerable (Protected in Australia)
Australian distribution:
NSW, VIC, TAS & SA
AUSTRALIAN SEA LION
Scientific name:
Neophoca cinerea
Habitat:
Rocky islands, boulder or pebble beaches & sloping rocky ledges
Population:
10,000 to 12,000 (85% in SA)
Conservation status:
Endangered (Protected in QLD, NSW, TAS,& WA)
Australian distribution:
SA & WA
NEW ZEALAND SEA LION
Scientific name:
Arctocephalus forsteri
Habitat:
Rocky islands, boulder or pebble beaches & sloping rocky ledges
Population:
200,000 (50% in Australia)
Conservation status:
No advice (Protected in Australia)
Australian distribution:
VIC, TAS, SA & WA
INFORMATION
Seal colonies are generally located on offshore islands around southern Australia from central New South Wales to the Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia.
There are three common species found in Australia and sometimes the mainland can be visited by other species such as southern elephant seals.
Australian fur seals can be found from Sydney to South Australia including Tasmania, New Zealand furs seals from Sydney to Western Australia including Tasmania, and Australian Sea lions from western Victoria to Western Australia.
Australian sea lions are listed as Vulnerable.
They are often seen using manmade structures such as buoys and navigation markers as haul out sites.
Before colonial settlement, there was an estimated 200,000 Australian fur seals in Australia but numbers plummeted to about 20,000 as a result of commercial hunting after European settlement.
Fortunately, populations have now recovered to around 90,000 due to protection laws.
Some east coast colonies also have New Zealand fur seals amongst their numbers.
Australian fur seals and New Zealand fur seals are actually sea lions and, unlike true seals, have external ears and can walk on all four limbs.
They can be quite large animals; bulls can be 2.3 metres (7’) long and weigh up to 360 kilograms (800 lbs)!
Sadly, they are very vulnerable to monofilament fishing line, polypropylene ropes and fishing nets which can cause a very cruel death by strangulation when a seal becomes entangled.
Females and pups are usually totally uninhibited, friendly and playful, and love mimicking divers’ somersaults, twists and turns.
Put simply, a seal experience is phenomenal!
Interactions with seals & sea lions can be seasonal, please check with the local dive services provider.
Barunguba Seals is one of Australia’s 50 Great Dives! READ MORE
Special thanks to the teams at Montague Island Adventures & Underwater Safaris.
Copyright © 2025 Steve Sinclair
DIVE DETAILS
Check with local dive services provider.
2026 GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIVE CHALLENGE
Dive Registration
To register this dive for validation, go to: www.50greatdives.com.
NOTE: Entrants should do this dive with one of the following preferred dive services.
DIVE SERVICES
NEW SOUTH WALES
Sydney
ABYSS SCUBA DIVING +61 (2) 9583 9662
Wollongong
DIVE NEAR ME +61 (2) 4210 9279
Jervis Bay
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Batemans Bay
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Montague Island
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VICTORIA
Port Phillip Heads
SCUBABO +61 (3) 5252 1188
SEA ALL DOLPHIN SWIMS +61 (3) 5258 3889
TASMANIA
Eaglehawk Neck
EAGLEHAWK DIVE CENTRE +61 (3) 6250 3566
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Port Lincoln
CALYPSO STAR SHARK CAGE DIVING +61 (8) 8682 3939
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Albany
SOUTHCOAST DIVING SUPPLIES +61 (8) 9841 7176
Perth
IMAGE DIVE & CHARTER +61 (0) 417 957 870
PERTH SCUBA +61 (8) 9455 4448
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Geraldton
ECO ABROLHOS CRUISES +61 (8) 4964 5101
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