The Tweed River is a fascinating place. Always a bustle of activity. People fishing, water skiing and kayaking—alongside the commercial river-goers in the prawn trawlers, whale watching boats and the like. One such boat is the crew from Kirra Dive, who offer a range of diving and snorkelling trips from their shop on Warf Street, Tweed Heads.

Kirra Dive has been operating in the Tweed since 1988 and our captain, Rudi, has been running the tours for 20 years. One of their most popular trips is to Cook Island, off the coast of Fingal Head, to see the turtles.

“The Cook Island tours run all year round and you don’t need any experience to join a tour. All equipment can be provided,” Rudi tells me. “You can see turtles, the Fingal pod of dolphins, fish, squids, cuttlefish, and wobbegongs throughout the year, but there are benefits to snorkelling at different times.” In winter the water can be clearer and you can also see the whales on the boat trip out, but in summer you can see leopard sharks and other warm-water sea creatures.

After an exhilarating trip from the Tweed River out over the Tweed Bar and over to Cook Island, the team will give you a briefing and show you the best spots to jump in and see the turtles. There are two Hawksbill turtles and one loggerhead turtle spotted regularly at Cook Island, but the majority are green turtles. There is a strict turtle code of conduct while snorkelling to keep the majestic animals safe. The Kirra Dive crew are very knowledgeable about the Tweed area and its underwater inhabitants and are happy to answer any questions.

“When turtle eggs hatch in cold sand they are male and in warm sand they are female”, Rudi tells me. “That is why most of the turtle breeding grounds are up north because the female will always go back to the beach where she hatched to lay her eggs”.

Kirra Dive recently won the Tweed Sustainability Award for Tourism for their work in conservation. They have been partnering with Green Heros, who are developing Ocean ID where you will be able to go online and log turtle activity.

“The turtle's face is like a fingerprint,” says Rudi. “So each one is unique, you can take a picture and log it and if you are the first person to log that turtle you get to name it”.

The Cook Island snorkelling tour with Kirra Dive is very relaxed and there is plenty of time to explore the reef, take in the view and acquaint yourself with the various marine life.

Book your turtle adventure at www.kirradive.com