Anyone interested in a combo marine life/mammal watching trip in South Australia for May 2026?
So, I’m pretty desperate to get back to Australia and South Australia happens to have 2 of my bucket list marine critters–the Great White and the Weedy Sea Dragon. There are also an incredible number of outstanding mammals to see there, of course. I guess what I’m proposing is a trip that is mostly for mammal watching but carves out some time for two of the most iconic fish in the history of the universe. I’m completely open to itineraries and can be flexible on the length of the trip. Please get in touch with me if you’re interested and we can build a trip. I’m open to traveling big miles on a trip like this or to keep it local to South Australia. My mind is completely open on the details.
Regards
–Chad
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4 Comments
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Huntingforparadise
Hey Mate,
Not sure if you’re aware, but South Aus has had a pretty rough run recently. A massive algal bloom from the Murray River runoff has caused one of the worst fish kills in living memory in the area, with thousands of leafies and weedies washing up dead along the coastline.
That combined with some massive storms which hit a lot of the jetties (including Rapid Bay) hard enough to close them due to being unsafe, makes South Aus a hard place to dive at the moment.
Whilst Rapid Bay jetty is closed, there are options to still see leafies in second valley, but it will be a very hard year for them.
Perhaps get in contact with Peter from Seadragon Dive Lodge and see what he reckons. He’s been diving there a lot since the blooms and storms and can give a more accurate assessment.
Although not exactly positive, I hope this still helps in some way.
Cheers,
Lewis
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ChadJ
Feel free to double check my math, but I believe 2 sea dragon species is 1000% better than just one so that all sounds good to me. You can contact me at cqjohnson98@gmail.com
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ChadJ
Thanks for the info Lewis. I’ll definitely contact Sea Dragon Lodge. I suppose the one thing going for me is the trip won’t be until June 2026. Hopefully the dragons and the rest of the marine life have recovered somewhat. It’s a dark world where sea dragons are suffering. Was also hoping to see the cuttlefish gathering and, of course, some nudis. Hopefully what has been terrible for marine life will be a boon to terrestrial mammals. Thanks again for the info. Cheers –Chad
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Eduardo Ruiz
I also went to australia 3 years ago and I have been contemplating very badly going back next year, i can’t commit to dates until later this year (i havent even completed my big 2025 mammalwatching trip yet). Apart from mostly mammals my list has the weedy sea dragon in the mornington peninsula in victoria or around rapid bay near adelaide and the leafy sea dragon in bremer bay so we have a bit in common there. If you share your contact i can let you know once i have more clarity if we can join forces. Thank you!