Authorities warn people to watch out for seals coming ashore to rest when the seas are rough

Heading out for a walk on the beach or a swim with friends can result in lovely memories – but also the unexpected discovery of an animal lying on the sand.

Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) recently asked for people to watch out over the coming days for seals that had come ashore to escape choppy conditions on the NSW coast.

But ORRCA spokesperson Craig said the seals often weren’t distressed or harmed when they haul out (meaning when they have temporarily left the water).

“Imagine if you went for a swim at a beach on a rough day,” he told Region.

“They are fantastic swimmers, but even under tough conditions, they will get tired out.”

The organisation spent a weekend fielding calls from up and down the NSW coastline, he said, including from the South Coast.

Craig said a seal could haul out to have a rest during rough conditions, or it might leave the ocean because it was still learning the skills needed for life in the water.

“It doesn’t necessarily take a seal long to become independent,” he said.

“Mum might be having another cub, and the previous cub has gone off on its own to learn how to do all of this stuff.

“It could also be young but fine, where it’s not abandoned but newly independent.”

Craig said if someone saw a seal they should stay away and make sure they are not standing between the water and the animal.

Should a dog be off leash, it also should be immediately put back on a leash so the animals can be kept separate.

“The thing that a lot of people don’t realise is that seals can move really quickly,” he said.

Craig recommended calling ORRCA once a seal was sighted, so one of its volunteers could check how the seal was fairing.

“In most cases, they’ll be OK. There’s no intervention needed outside of some crowd control,” he said.

“But we call on people to let us know when they see a seal if they think it’s in a funny spot, or in a place where we can help.

“We’ve got hotline coordinators that will be able to talk to whoever it is [that’s calling] and ask questions for an assessment of the wellbeing of the seal.”

While seeing a seal out of the water can be a strange sight, Craig said ORRCA wasn’t seeing an unusual pattern of haul-outs this winter.

“We’re not particularly concerned about the behaviours that we’re seeing,” he said.

“There’s nothing that we’re seeing that would indicate there’s a trend of the seals being unwell – everything is what we see about this time every year when the sea does get a bit rougher.

Should you see a seal on the shore, call ORRCA’s Rescue Hotline on 02 9415 3333. All seals are protected in Australian waters and there are exclusion zones of 40 metres (for an adult seal) and 80 metres (for a seal pup). Penalties apply for breaching those zones.