It's time for our Winter trip to Seal Rocks - the best time of year to see the friendly Grey Nurse Sharks!!

 

TICKETS GO ON SALE Wednesday 21/06/23 at 10 am

Carefully read the "Getting There" section below BEFORE purchasing your ticket!!

 

This trip will involve snorkelling and freediving over two days at Seal Rocks... This site is quietly famous for it’s turtles, rays, dolphins, Grey Nurse, Port Jackson and Wobbegong sharks, so you’re bound to see something good on whilst snorkelling or freediving!

The dives and snorkel sessions will be led by our very own NUDES committee, who have dived the site more times than we can count, so any level of experience is welcome – we’ll look after you even if it’s your first time snoreklling!

Note for non-swimmers: if you are not a confident swimmer we will not be able to teach you or take you out snorkelling. Please only buy a ticket if you're happy to chill on the beach and camp with us.

 

About the area

Seal Rocks is a quintessential Barrington Coast isolated seaside village. It's famous for the beautiful lighthouse overlooking wild and remote beaches.

 

Accommodation Details

In between dives, we’ll be camping at Reflections Holiday Park, on a powered campsite with drinkable running water. The sites are 7x7 metres and have enough space for 6 people to sleep in tents and swags comfortably.

Reflections Holiday Park has great facilities: warm showers (great after being in the cold water), vending machines, full indoor kitchen with TV and BBQs galore! They also have a firepit which overlooks the ocean!

At 9 pm each night we will start our time-honoured migration to the nearest beach (curfew is at 10 pm and we want to respoect our neigbours at the Holiday Park). 

 

Getting There

Everyone should plan to meet at the gear store at 10 am Friday morning so we can drive up in convoy!

If you do not have a car.... Limited "Passenger" tickets are available for purchase, YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE TO LEAVE AT 10AM on FRIDAY 7th if you purchase a "Passenger" ticket. This ticket covers the cost of fuel to the drivers.

If you have your own car.... Most cars will need to be parked outside the campground in the free street parking as there will be no space for members vehicles on the powered sites.

If you are planning to sleep in your car or van on the campsite then you must purchase the "Car/Van Sleeper" ticket. Once these are sold out you will need to purchase the standard "Driver" ticket and arrange a tent or swag for yourself if you wish to stay on the campsite with us.

 

In preparation for the event

You will be sent an email after purchasing your ticket requesting you to join a Facebook messenger chat. This is where all communication for the event will be!

A waiver will be shared in the messenegr chat which must be signed and completed prior to the event start date.

Make sure you have gear! If you do not own a wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins or booties, these are avaiable to hire from the club. You must book an appointment to hire gear in advance if you will not be available to make it to the gear store at 10 am on Friday the 7th,

 

ITINERARY

Friday

10 am: Meet at the NUDES Gear Store (behind The Forum) to get your gear sorted and organise carpooling. Some muffins will be supplied for brunch and there is a cafe in the forum entrance for those who need their morning coffee!

11 am: Drive 1.5 hours to Seal Rocks.

12.30-1 pm: Arrive and set up camp - get the day off work and give yourself you a good long weekend!!

3 pm: Beach games and a swim

Games night!

Saturday 

6.30 am: Hike to the lighthouse at sunrise (6.52 am)

12 pm: Freediving and snorkelling sessions to find the grey nurse sharks!

3 pm: Beach chills, swimming, surfing (BYO surf board)

6 pm: Family BBQ for dinner - bread, sausages, burgers and salads will be supplied (dietary requirements will be catered to)

Walk to nearby beach at 9 pm if you want to keep being loud after cerfew! 

Sunday 

Early morning snorkel and freedive (TBC - will be organised the night before).

9 am: Pack up campsite

10 am: Check out of the accommodation

Visit the crocodile pie shop on the drive back to Newcastle!

3 pm: Gear wash at the NUDES gear store - mandatory for anyone who used club gear!!

 

What to bring

• Wetsuit (long sleeves and thick neoprene - the water will be cold!) - available for hire
• Snorkel and mask - available for hire
• Fins and booties/wetsuit socks - available for hire
• Towel and swimmers, sunscreen and hat
• Clothes, toothbrush, etc. the regular overnight stuff!
• Bring a warm set of clothes - beanie, jumpers, warm pants, etc.
• BYO food and alcohol. There are only two places to buy some limited food, so bring enough food for yourself for Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast and lunch and Sunday breakfast - there are BBQ's at the campsite so you do not need to bring a cooker or stovetop
• Plates, cups, cutlery, and cooking utensils
• Sleeping stuff: Tent or swag, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, pillow. Tents can be hired from the Mountaineering club (must be a NUMC member).
• Optional extras:
• Gopro or underwater camera
• Speaker
• Board games
• Surf board

 

Please remember to purchase your Semester 2 membership prior to the event - as Semester 1 memberships expire soon!

This is a members only event. Memberships start from as little as $5 a semester! Click here to become a member.

Please note: your ticket includes the cost of gear hire. You will be required to pay for your own food and other activities.