Leafy Sea Dragons

[bjd001]

I will be diving the Yongala wreck and the GBR in March 2023 on board the Spoilsport. Then I'll probably spend another 2-3 weeks touring around. Definitely plan to visit Sydney. Would it be worth it to head to Adelaide to dive with the leafy sea dragons? If so, any recommended dive ops?

Also interested in any other recommendations for where to go and what to see. I'm more interested in natural features than cities. Yes, I know Australia's a big place. (I'm from the US.) Not opposed to flying to new places. We get off the boat in Cairns so plan to fly to Sydney and then ??? Maybe Melbourne and/or Adelaide. Also considering Tasmania, just because it sounds really cool!

Thanks!

 

[diver257a]

Hi bjd001

I have provided the information re Leafy Sea Dragons (LSD) that you requested along with some comments.

1. The weather should be favourable, i.e. warm, sunny and dry, with water temperatures about 20 degrees C.
2. I would suggest the following dive ops – Diving Adelaide, Adelaide Scuba and Underwater Sports Diving Centre (UWSDC) - because these are the biggest service providers.
3. The usual sites for LSD tours are Rapid Bay jetty and Victor Harbor – I would recommend Rapid Bay because it is the more attractive dive site with better environmental conditions, and because I have noticed that visitors from elsewhere are very impressed with the place and the diving experience. By the way, some people will suggest Kangaroo Island as the place to go to, but LSD can be seen at numerous dive sites along the mainland coast.
4. You should ask to be picked up from your accommodation on the day of diving and returned there afterwards.

 

[bjd001]

Thanks!

 

[Tassi Devil Diver]

Regarding Tasmanian, there are some shore dives you can do where you can find the weedy sea dragon, particularly recommend Bicheno, Waubs Bay.

Otherwise check out the Eaglehawk Dive Centre, they run dives to many locations on the Tasman Peninsular out of Pirates Bay including the Cathedral Caves, a spectacular sea cave system (no cave dive cert required).

 

[happy-diver]

Weedy Seadragon, Flinders pier, Flinders, Victoria, Australia

ocean.si.edu

 

[Puppeteer]

If you are diving Australia, then Ningaloo Reef is definitely worth a visit up at Exmouth in WA.

 

[happy-diver]

Vroom! for 5608.496 miles. Vroom!

FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHT MILES FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX YARDS VROOM

 

[Pressurehead]

Then I'll probably spend another 2-3 weeks touring around. Definitely plan to visit Sydney

2-3 weeks is not a lot of time to travel in Oz, are you traveling alone or with a partner , how long have booked a spot on the Spoilsport,
What is your budget?
If you are 'flying solo' you could fill 3 weeks diving and touring Nth Qld alone.
I went on a road trip some years ago and it took me 13 months to get out of Queensland, half of that up North, and I live in the South of the state.
Places like Heron Island, Lady Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave Island on the way home.

Yongala Dive should be on every divers 'bucket list' if you visit North Queensland.

 

[Puppeteer]

Driving is the hard way to do it. It's a big country, but if you want to see the outback, you'll see plenty of that at 110kph.

If diving is your focus, I'd fly between major destinations. There are flights from Perth to Exmouth, and plenty to between state capitals.

Flying will almost certainly be cheaper than buying fuel. Nallabor fuel will probably be up at around $3 per litre.

Looks like a great trip though.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Regarding Tasmanian, there are some shore dives you can do where you can find the weedy sea dragon, particularly recommend Bicheno, Waubs Bay.

Otherwise check out the Eaglehawk Dive Centre, they run dives to many locations on the Tasman Peninsular out of Pirates Bay including the Cathedral Caves, a spectacular sea cave system (no cave dive cert required).

We also have a trip planned for March. We are spending a couple of weeks in the Adelaide area as well as a week aboard the Rodney Fox out of Port Lincoln. We had to cancel the second leg of our trip to Tasmania when we looked at the Eaglehawk Dive Centre website. Our group consists of a dozen divers, mostly women in their late 60s-70s who don't make shore dives any longer. We all have large camera rigs, so the Eaglehawk boats would not be large enough for us all. No head on the boat was another nail in the dive trip coffin.