Narooma · New South Wales
A small-group Narooma operator running seal dives and snorkels at Montague Island (Barunguba) since 2014, with seasonal grey nurse shark dives.
Photos: Underwater Safaris Narooma, used with permission.
Contact & location
Taken from the operator's published details. Hours and locations change — confirm before you travel.
At a glance
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Region
Narooma
New South Wales
Business type
Charter operator
+2 more
Water temp
14–21°C
seasonal range
Dive sites
1
documented
Agencies
PADI
Underwater Safaris operates from Narooma on the New South Wales far south coast, providing access to Montague Island — one of the most reliable seal-diving destinations in Australia.
Montague sits about nine kilometres offshore and supports a substantial Australian and New Zealand fur seal population. The encounters are genuinely interactive: young seals approach divers directly, mirror their movements, blow bubble rings and repeatedly loop back, and they will keep doing it as long as the diver stays still and does not pursue.
That last point is the whole technique. Seals engage with divers who hold position and ignore those who chase. Dives are shallow, which suits the interaction well — the animals are most active in the top ten metres and long bottom times are easy.
Beyond the seals, the island offers granite terrain, kelp and temperate reef species, with little penguins and seabird colonies above water. It is a nature reserve and landing requires a permit.
This is cooler, more exposed diving than the NSW coast further north. Water runs roughly fourteen to twenty-one degrees, the crossing is open ocean, and trips are weather-dependent. A seven millimetre suit is sensible, and divers accustomed to Sydney should expect a noticeable step down in temperature.
Montague Island is a nature reserve and landing requires a permit, so the trip is a boat dive rather than an island visit unless arranged separately. The seals are the reason to go, and the technique that works is simply to stay still and let them come to you.
Use the documented profile as a shortlist, then confirm the details that can change with staff, weather and season.
Best starting point
Underwater Safaris Narooma is most relevant to boat access to offshore or otherwise inaccessible sites. The documented fit includes divers seeking seal encounters, certified divers and photographers.
Confirm before travel
Confirm boat schedule, rental equipment, including what is included and what must be reserved separately. Ask which of the 1 linked site is realistic for your date and experience.
Local context
Regional water temperature is roughly 14–21°C, with visibility commonly 10–25 m. Build exposure protection and experience around the actual site, not the state-wide average.
Continue with the operator checklist, how to read conditions and the insurance guide.
Services documented for this business. A green tick means a current primary source states it directly; other entries are advertised but have not yet received the same source-backed verification.
What a primary source states
Worth confirming when you call
Dive businesses change what they offer constantly. These are the details we would want nailed down before booking — useful questions to run through on the phone.
Sites documented as being regularly serviced by this business.
A small-group Narooma operator running seal dives and snorkels at Montague Island (Barunguba) since 2014, with seasonal grey nurse shark dives. It is documented here as: charter operator, wildlife tourism, destination operator.
Prices and inclusions change too quickly for this independent profile to quote reliably. Ask Underwater Safaris Narooma for the complete checkout cost, including equipment, materials, certification, guide fees, marine levies, transfers and cancellation terms where relevant.
No. This is an independent research profile, not an endorsement or ranking. Verified statements are linked to sources, advertised capabilities are labelled separately, and divers should make their own current checks before booking.
Underwater Safaris Narooma's published address is Apex Park Boat Ramp, Narooma NSW 2546 (meeting point), in the Narooma region of New South Wales. Confirm opening hours before visiting, as dive businesses change hours seasonally.
We have not established entry-level training for this business, which does not mean it is unavailable. Check directly, or browse other Narooma operations where training is documented.
Air fills are documented. Analyse your own cylinder before use regardless of what a fill sheet says, and check opening hours and whether externally owned cylinders are filled.
This operation is documented as servicing 1 site listed on this page. Site access varies with conditions, season and the certification of the group, so confirm the planned itinerary directly.
Specifically: Maximum divers per trip; Air or Nitrox fills; Minimum certification for the shark sites. More generally, ask about instructor experience, group sizes, what equipment is included and what happens if conditions cancel the day.
What the verified statements on this page are based on. We link primary sources so you can check them yourself — and so you can see the date they were consulted.
Last researched: September 2026. Dive businesses change frequently — confirm current services, prices and requirements directly with the operator before booking.
