I started Seal & Sea Adventure Tours in 1995 after the bulk iron ore carrier Iron Baron, ran aground on Hebe Reef at the mouth of the Tamar River.  There was a large spill of bunker fuel, and many local birds and animals suffered from the effects of the spill, needing emergency rescue clean-ups and rehabilitation.  I was involved in searching for injured and affected wildlife, and with the follow-up surveillance of the area to monitor any ongoing effects.  This included animal rescuers, Tasmania's Parks & Wildlife authority, the media and other interested people.

As a result of this, I found that there were many people that were interested in seeing seals and other marine life in their natural environment.

Most of the population of the Tenth Island seal colony are Australian fur seals, with between 500 to 600 seals. There are also about sixty breeding pairs of New Zealand fur seals.

We travel to the Island using a 33ft Power Cat .  In suitable weather conditions these boats can travel at up to 50 miles per hour, but even in less favourable conditions we are still able to make the trip out and back in good time.  The conditions in Bass Strait are recognised as some of the most notorious in the world, and these boats can handle quite tough going, although all trips out to the Island are subject to suitable weather conditions.  We use local skippers with very good knowledge of the area to run the boats, and they are chosen on the basis of this knowledge and their boat handling skills.

The real bonus for me in running this business has been the reward of meeting people from all over the world and being able to show them and share with them some thing very special - the seals in their natural habitat.

Feedback from people who have been out on the tours over the years has been most favourable - they tell me they have found the trip to be very informative, educational and good fun.

Our operations have now expanded to include Dive Charters, River Cruises, Fishing Charters, and Commercial Charter.  Full details are available on this website - just follow the links.

We have a listing with Tourism Tasmania's website and are a member of Coast Guard Tamar and Sea Boat Charter Operators of Tasmania. We are also an Accredited Tourism Business under the Tourism Council Tasmania's accreditation scheme.