There are few things more incredible than having the good fortune to observe a sea turtle in the wild—these beautiful, graceful creatures glide through the water with ease and are one of the most iconic creatures of our oceans.
I recently had the good fortune myself to go snorkelling with sea turtles at Cook Island, a small island just off the coast of Tweed Heads, in Northern NSW. If you’re ever in the area, this is one of the best outdoor activities you can do—here’s what you need to know about Cook Island’s sea turtle population and how you can visit.
Cook Island
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area that surrounds the small Cook Island, about 600 meters offshore from Fingal Head. It’s part of the Tweed Head region of NSW, about an hour north of Byron Bay and very close to the Queensland state border. The island itself was formed from volcanic lava flow around 20 million years ago.
The waters of Cook Island are famous for their permanent sea turtle population—green, hawksbill & loggerhead turtles all call the region their home. However, you can also find lots of other marine life here, including rays, whales (in the winter months), leopard sharks, dolphins, and plenty of fish.
Sea turtles are under threat, sadly, from factors like fishing nets, pollution, and plastics, leaving many of the world’s species listed as vulnerable or endangered. While you can almost always see turtles at Cook Island, treat them with respect and keep your distance, letting them swim past you safely.
While the island itself was named after Captain James Cook, who spotted it in 1770, the Indigenous people of the region, the Coodjinburra clan of the Bungjalung people, call the island Joongurra-Narrian. This translates to ‘the place of pelican’.
Watersports Guru
Keen to grab your flippers and visit Cook Island for yourself? Should you find yourself in the Tweed (a great place to be!), check out Watersports Guru, a locally-owned business that operates daily snorkelling tours to Cook Island.
I love that Watersports Guru places such a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmental protection with their trips, with our passionate guide Teuila educating us on the local marine life.
Our group arrived on a bright, sunny day at Fingal Boathouse, along the Tweed River, where the tours depart from. Once we suited up with wetsuits, masks, and flippers (all included if you didn’t have your own), we then set off to visit the island.
As the boat meanders through the Tweed River to the open sea, there are plenty of opportunities to spot birds and even dolphins—our group saw quite a few dolphin pods as we cruised over to the island, which only takes around 15 minutes.
Once you leave the river and cross past the Tweed Heads bar, the sea can be a bit rougher, so if you tend to get seasick (not sure if due to luck or genetics, but I’ll take it!), it’s a good idea to take some medication before setting off. While I’m not someone who gets seasick, even I was feeling a little off, so keep that in mind—however, the boat ride is short and once you get to the island, you can get into the water and start exploring!
What it’s like to snorkel at Cook Island
Once our captain had anchored offshore, Teulia gave us a safety briefing and a plan for the morning before we entered the water. While the sea was still a bit choppy, it was only minutes until we spotted our first turtle!
With Teulia as our guide, we swam in a few loops around one side of Cook Island, looking for marine life. If you want to visit but aren’t a confident swimmer, there are pool noodles onboard that you can use for flotation.
During our morning at Cook Island, we saw quite a few turtles, some swimming past, others resting on the sand below. There’s really nothing like the thrill of seeing a turtle, with snorkellers or divers gaining exclusive entry into their underwater world, if only for a moment.
Watersports Guru offers daily snorkel half-day excursions to Cook Island with both morning and afternoon departure times, $109 child or $129 adult.
Know before you go
- Bring plenty of sunscreen and a hat for the boat ride out and back!
- Not great at underwater photography? That’s ok—your guide will take images of the turtles, and of you (if you want a picture), with all images posted to the Watersports Guru Facebook page for you to download.
- If weather conditions are poor, the trip might need to be postponed. So, if you’re visiting the Tweed and really keen to see turtles, aim to book your trip earlier in your visit, so you still have extra days if it needs to be rescheduled.
I visited as a guest of The Tweed Tourism Co, but all opinions are my own.
Featured image courtesy of Teulia, Watersports Guru.