Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary

Meet the site

Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary protects two small sandstone reefs, Little Henty and Henty, that break the surface just off Marengo beach on the southern edge of Apollo Bay. At 12.5 hectares it is one of Victoria's smallest marine protected areas, but it packs in a lot: an intertidal platform with rock pools, gutters and ledges, subtidal reef covered in bull kelp and colourful red and green algae, sponges and sea squirts on the shaded faces, and, on the outer reef, a haul-out of Australian fur seals that has made Marengo the Great Ocean Road's best-known snorkel. The seals are the draw. Young animals in particular will leave the rocks to circle, buzz and play with snorkellers and divers in the channel, and on a calm day an hour in the water with them is as good as anything at Montague Island or Phillip Island, without the boat trip. Beneath the surface the reef is typical productive Otway coast: dense kelp with abalone and southern rock lobster under the ledges, sweep, wrasse, magpie perch, zebrafish and leatherjackets in the gutters, weedy seadragons in the weed on the sand edge, and rays and flathead on the sand between the reefs. Dolphins pass through regularly.

Depths are modest, 2–5 m over most of the inner reef and 8–10 m on the outside of Henty Reef, so this is a long, shallow dive rather than a deep one, and it suits snorkellers, new divers and families as much as experienced divers. The sanctuary has been no-take since 2002 and the crayfish and abalone are correspondingly large and obvious. The catches are the exposure – both reefs are surf-swept in any real swell and the channel runs a current – and the seals themselves, which are wild animals that can be aggressive on the rocks; Parks Victoria asks visitors not to walk over exposed reef toward them and to stay in the water rather than land. Boat tours from the Apollo Bay harbour and guided kayak-snorkel trips run through the summer for those who prefer not to swim out from the beach.

What you might see

Australian fur seals (haul-out), weedy seadragons, southern rock lobster, black-lip abalone, sea sweep, blue-throat wrasse, magpie perch, zebrafish, leatherjackets, smooth rays, bottlenose dolphins, bull kelp, sponges and sea squirts

Location

Two small emergent reefs (Little Henty and Henty) less than 50 m to 300 m off Marengo beach, 3 km south of Apollo Bay, forming a 12.5 ha sanctuary with a resident fur seal haul-out.

Facilities nearby

Small car park and beach access at Hayley Point, Marengo Holiday Park adjacent, toilets at the holiday park/beach reserve, Apollo Bay shops and cafes 3 km; no air fills in Apollo Bay.