The Big Duck..... Great Southern Ocean Adventure

This breathtaking 90 minute tour departed from the Granite Island Causeway and 'cruised' between the mainland and the northern side of Granite Island, affording spectacular views of both the Victor Harbor shoreline and the island. Once past the breakwater The Big Duck picked up its pace..... 25 - 30 knots even with a 2.5 - 3 metre swell! We certainly needed our waterproof 'bags' (long hooded rubberised kagool) today and a strong stomach

Seal Rock was the first stop, where Long Nosed Fur Seals and Australian Sea Lions basked in the sun between fishing forays and swimming out to the boat for a sticky-beak! Then on past the huge granite boulders of Wright Island and the Bluff.

Many visitors to Victor Harbor never venture past Petrel Cove on the western side of The Bluff, but this is where passengers on The Big Duck are in for a real treat! West Island is a Conservation Park, complete with a research hut used by the universities and park rangers. From the back of the island another colony of seals and sea lions can be found basking on the rocks and swimming in the shallows. Seabirds abound in this remote area and often pods of Common and Bottlenose Dolphins can be spotted playing or feeding. The Big Duck heads further west past the darkly spectacular cliffs of Kings Beach and Waitpinga before turning around and heading back to Granite Island Causeway

This was quite an adventure as, with the swell and strong winds, it was touch and go whether the trip would go ahead today. One or two less hardy souls found the buckets useful but this old crock loved every minute of this white knuckle ride. Being escorted back to the boat ramp by a huge pod of bottle nosed dolphins was the highlight of the day. Definitely one for the bucket list. (No pun intended)