After days of heavy rain, the return of warm sunny weather resulted in many heading for the to Wyndham’s beaches on Tuesday, however one sunbather stood out from the crowd.
A seal was spotted soaking up the rays at Werribee South beach yesterday morning.
The unexpected visitor drew plenty of interest from other beachgoers, with many taking photos of the large mammal while it dozed near some rocks in the sunshine.
But while seals look cute and cuddly, the reality can be quite different.
Often tipping the scales at more than half a tonne, seals can pose a danger to onlookers and vice versa and there are strict guidelines to be followed in the event you do encounter one.
These include staying at least 30 metres away from a seal on land, regardless of whether you are also on land or in the water.
lf you have a dog, you are not permitted within 50 metres of a seal on land, and any touching or feeding of seals is illegal.
Fortunately none of these guidelines were breached at Werribee South yesterday, with the seal only staying for a short time before returning to the waters of Port Phillip Bay.
For more information and rules around seals and other wildlife in the water visit: https://rb.gy/1ee9t0
Cade Lucas.
