Abyss Project Australia

24/09/2026

🌊🐋 FINAL TICKETS REMAIN FOR 2026! 🦭🦅

Don’t miss out on an unforgettable Wollongong season with Abyss Project Australia’s Five Islands Nature Reserve Eco Tours!

From migrating humpback whales and curious fur seals to spectacular seabird encounters, every trip brings the opportunity to experience our incredible local marine wildlife up close. 🐋

And this is more than just a boat trip. It’s a marine-scientist-led eco-tour where adventure meets ocean education, citizen science and conservation. 🌏💙

🌅 OUR SUNSET CHARTER
📅 Friday 16 October 2026
⏰ 3:30pm–5:00pm
📍 Wollongong, NSW
✨ Final tickets are now available for our 2026 season. Once they’re gone, that’s it for the year!

🎟️ BOOK NOW ON EVENTBRITE:

Come and discover the wild side of Wollongong with us. You never know what might surface next! 💙

21/09/2026

🚨🌊 NEW CHARTER RELEASED! 🐋

Our 2026 Five Islands Nature Reserve Eco Tour season has been nothing short of extraordinary!

From migrating Humpback Whales breaching and beautiful mother-and-calf encounters, to Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals, thousands of seabirds and unexpected wildlife discoveries, every trip has brought something new. 🌊🐋🐬

And the best part? You’re not just coming along for a wildlife adventure. You’re joining a marine-scientist-led experience where ocean education, citizen science and conservation come together.

🐬 Whales, seals and seabirds in their natural environment

🔬 Marine science, wildlife observations and citizen science

🌱 Every tour contributes to our ongoing biodiversity monitoring

💙 A UNESCO-endorsed experience with adventures that have a purpose

✨ An opportunity to connect with the ocean and discover the remarkable wildlife right here on our doorstep

🎟️ ONE OF THE FINAL CHANCES TO JOIN US IN 2026!

We’ve just released a NEW CHARTER for:

📅 Friday 16 October
⏰ 3:30–5:00pm
📍 Port Kembla Outer Harbour Boat Ramp

With ONLY 22 SPOTS AVAILABLE, this will be the second-last charter of our 2026 season.

👇 BOOK YOUR SPOT NOW:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/five-islands-nature-reserve-eco-tour-whales-seals-seabirds-tickets-2000778592630?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Bring your family, bring your camera, and come experience the magic of the Five Islands with us. 🐋💙

22 spots. One of our final 2026 adventures.

Will we see you out on the water? 🌊

The Abyss Project is back for its second year! Join our UNESCO-endorsed ecotour around the spectacular Five Islands Nature Reserve!

21/09/2026

🌊🐬 UOW SOCIAL CLUB CHARTER 2 | FIVE ISLANDS ECO TOUR

📅 Sunday 20 September | 2:30–4:00pm

And the afternoon continued with Charter 2! 💙 Another incredible journey around the Five Islands with the UOW Social Club, filled with seabird activity, spectacular whale encounters and a few special moments for the Abyss Project biodiversity records.

🐦 Seabird highlights included:

🤎 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters

🤍 Australian Pelicans and White Ibises

🖤 Sooty Oystercatchers

🤍 Kelp Gulls and thousands of Silver Gulls

🐦 Thousands of Crested Terns, Little Terns and Greater Crested Terns

🖤 Great Cormorants, both juvenile and mature birds

🐦 Little Pied Cormorants and Little Black Cormorants

🦅 A juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle soaring overhead

🐋 Whale encounters to remember!

A mother and calf Humpback Whale gave us a beautiful tail-fluke deep dive, followed by two more Humpback Whales breaching! What an unforgettable sight out on the water. 💙

🐬 Marine mammal encounters:

• Two Bottlenose Dolphins

• The local Australian Fur Seal colony

• Two New Zealand Fur Seals, including one with a visible wound

✨ Royal Spoonbill confirmation!

We were able to get a photograph of the Royal Spoonbill spotted during Charter 1, helping confirm this exciting first sighting for Abyss Project at the Five Islands! 📸

🌱 Wildlife monitoring update

We recorded no further sightings of distressed, diseased or deceased birds or other animals around the islands during this charter. We remain vigilant and will continue recording and reporting our observations as part of our ongoing biodiversity monitoring.

A huge thank you to the UOW Social Club for joining us for two wonderful charters of wildlife, discovery and ocean connection!

🌊 Adventures with purpose.

21/09/2026

🌊🐬 UOW SOCIAL CLUB CHARTER 1 | FIVE ISLANDS ECO TOUR

📅 Sunday 20 September | 1:00–2:30pm

What an incredible afternoon exploring the Five Islands with the UOW Social Club! 🐦🌊

From thousands of seabirds filling the skies to dolphins cruising alongside the boat, Charter 1 was packed with wildlife encounters and some very special sightings.

🐦 Seabird highlights included:

🖤 Sooty Oystercatchers

🤍 Kelp Gulls and thousands of Silver Gulls

🐦 Thousands of Crested Terns, Little Terns and Greater Crested Terns

🖤 Great Cormorants

🦅 One Osprey soaring overhead

🐬 Marine mammal encounters:

• Two Common Dolphins

• The local Australian Fur Seal colony

• Two New Zealand Fur Seals

✨ A very special Abyss Project first!

We recorded our first-ever Royal Spoonbill sighting for Abyss Project at the Five Islands! 🥳

Every trip brings the possibility of something new, and these unexpected encounters are exactly what makes spending time out on the water so special.

💙 A sombre observation

Sadly, during this charter, we also spotted a deceased Crested Tern in the water around Big Island. The observation was recorded and reported.

Without the bird being collected and examined, it is impossible to determine whether its death was related to H5N1 avian influenza. We observed no further signs of illness or deceased wildlife around the islands during this trip, but we remain vigilant as we continue our biodiversity monitoring.

We remind all Illawarra residents to remain cautious and help protect our local wildlife by recording and reporting any unusual animal behaviour or deceased wildlife through the appropriate reporting channels. Please do not touch or handle sick or deceased birds.

🌱 Why these observations matter

Every tour contributes to our ongoing biodiversity observations around the Five Islands, helping us build a longer-term picture of the wildlife that calls this remarkable place home, including during this challenging period.

A huge thank you to the UOW Social Club for joining us for an afternoon of wildlife, discovery and ocean connection. 💙

🌊 Adventures with purpose.

14/09/2026

Sharing some of Ironbark Photography MJH ironproof shots from Saturday’s tours. 🤘📸

When the conditions are wild, the waves are pumping and the wildlife is showing off, it takes incredible skill to get precision like this! 🙌🏽😍🫶

Absolutely incredible work capturing these moments from the water. 🌊🐋🦭

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