Penguin Island, Face To Face With A Seal

11/2/2013

A spectacular day out at Penguin Island!

A 35 minute drive south along the coast from Perth lies the small seaside town of Rockingham. One of its main attractions is a small spec of islands which can be found literally a few hundred metres off shore.

A designated nature reserve, the whole area comes under Shoalwater Marine Park with its two main islands – Penguin Island and the much smaller Seal Island being where most visitors head. It was all very low-key and eco-conscious as we cued to buy our tickets for both the ferry crossing and the seal tour. The main focus here was conservation and so, on the actual islands there are no shops and minimal signs of man’s involvement.

The huge expanse of striking blue from the sky almost seemed to blend with the various shades of turquoise of the ocean.

It reminded me of a type of island and water scene you’d see in somewhere like the Caribbean. The small boat was loaded up with that morning’s tourists and the journey across the bay took a mere eight minutes. To our left was a visible sand bar which meant, technically, you could wade across from the mainland to Penguin Island. But the sea being the sea, tides and currents are unpredictable and so warning signs were all over the place discouraging people from attempting it.

Disembarking at Penguin Island, we waited on the jetty for our first boat tour.

Boarding the ferry to cross the small bay.

Back on board for the seal tour.

The day was a true scorcher with unbroken sunshine and temperatures in the high 30s.

We piled on to the second boat which had a glass bottom. Off we set, bound just north of Penguin Island into open sea where the waters became decidedly choppier. Our guide gave us the lowdown on the island’s ecological history which included our famed penguin and seal friends. Normally, there are regular sightings of wild dolphins in the area but unfortunately that morning they must have been busy frolicking elsewhere.

As we turned down the east side of Seal Island, a wide sandy white beach appeared with three huge chubby seals sunbathing. Behind them was a flock of pelicans, lazily pruning themselves oblivious to the camera snapping that was taking place just a few metres away. Seal Island is totally off limits to people with only the odd conservationist allowed on for observing the animals. These seals were in the true natural habitat and it was awesome to witness it. After a few runs up and down the island, we headed back to the main jetty on Penguin Island where our 45 minute tour ended.

We spot a couple of seals sunbathing with a flock of pelicans behind them.

The 'Little or Blue Penguin' found along the coast of Western Australia.

As its name suggests, the island is home to the Blue Penguin – the smallest of all 17 species of penguins. It gets its name from the blueish tint to its feathers. They are very shy creatures and hunt during the day and only come on land at night. So again, the chances of seeing any wild ones were pretty remote. However, the small Discovery Centre on the island is where ten captive penguins are kept. These were rescued from all sorts of problems from injuries to being orphaned and were not strong or savvy enough to be let back into the wild.

We had arrived just in time for their midday feed. Jane, one of the animal conservationists, came out with her head microphone and gave the audience a 30 minute interactive talk on theses cutest of cute creatures. She casually threw bits of fish into the pool to demonstrate the speed at which these penguins can zip about. Once on land, however, it was a very different story. This is where the infamous penguin waddle was demonstrated and despite being the youngest, Splash, at only 22 months stole the show. In fact, he was the only one tame enough for Jane to handle as the other ones apparently give some nasty bites with their beaks.

At the island's Discovery Centre, we learn about the lifestyle of the Blue Penguin.

An interesting fact, when these penguins molt they are unable to swim until their new plumage is complete. This means they have to stay out of the water for around two weeks and this is when many of them perish, unable to hunt and also become prey to other land animals.

Enjoying some hummus dip with crackers on the beach!

Having had our seal and penguin knowledge firmly fattened up, we headed to the main beach on east side of the island which faced the near-still waters of the bay. Here, the water was crystal clear. And after munching on a few snacks we had prepared earlier for lunch, Lezil and I put our newly purchased snorkelling equipment to the test. The ladies at the mainland ticket office were kind enough to have smeared our goggle lenses with toothpaste which, they told us, would prevent it from fogging up. It worked!

The island and sea may have been reminiscent of the Caribbean but underwater was a much simpler display. You could see an abundance of sea grass along with some fish but they were almost camouflaged with the beige coloured sand. Still, it was fun to do! I ventured in the water along the coast a bit when I got somewhat startled to come face to face with a fat male seal. Thankfully he was busy dozing in the sun but I wasn’t taking any risks after our tour guide warned us to keep a 10 metre distance should you come across one.

Coming within metres of a seal resting in a sandy cove.

At the more windier and wavier side of Penguin Island.

With about an hour left until the return boat ride, we packed up our snorkelling gear, put our flip flops on and went for a wander around the island itself. You had to stick to the boarded walk ways, again all in the name of preserving the island as much as possible. It was an excellent 2km loop which took you inland to various lookout points then to the other side – the much windier and exposed side. The sea was decidedly rougher with large rolling waves crashing into the sand and rocks.

Despite this being a big tourist pull for the area, it never felt overrun by gawking visitors.

You could quite easily trail off and have your ‘one-with-nature’ moment. And, as our guide had joked earlier, if you miss the last 4pm ferry crossing, you’ll have the entire island to yourself. I can only imagine the reaction of a disgruntled seal if you just happened to set up camp in its favourite napping spot. It was a memorable day out, experiencing some of what Australia does best – the great outdoors.