Neptune Islands
The only place in Australia licensed for white shark cage diving, and the reason is the sea lion colony next door.
- Depth
- 0–8 m0–26 ft
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Entry
- Boat
- Typical current
- Moderate
- Coordinates
- 35°14.112′S 136°7.098′E
- Activities
- Scuba · Snorkelling
The Neptunes sit at the mouth of Spencer Gulf, three hours out from Port Lincoln, and they hold Australia's largest long-nosed fur seal colony — which is why the white sharks are there. Cage diving is the only permitted way in, from a surface cage on hookah air or an ocean-floor cage at about 18 m, and no certification is needed for the surface cage. Sightings are best from May to October. Nothing is baited into the cage: operators use tuna on a rope and are legally barred from feeding, so what you see is a shark deciding to look at you. The swell here is Southern Ocean swell and the crossing is not gentle.
Three hours by boat from Port Lincoln, which is a 50-minute flight from Adelaide. Liveaboard and day trips both run.
Best season
- ExcellentMay–Aug
- GoodSep–Oct
- FairNov–Apr
Conditions
No live conditions for this site yet.
We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.
Sea state and tide
Marine life you may see
- Great white sharkCarcharodon carchariasCommon
- Australian sea lionNeophoca cinereaCommon
- Port Jackson sharkHeterodontus portusjacksoniSeasonal
From divers
What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.
No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.
Sign in to report conditions.
How divers rate this site
Rating is open to divers who have logged a dive here.
Who is going
Nobody has planned a dive here yet.
Somebody reading this page is the most likely person in the world to organise one.
Create a planDive shops here
No dive shop has claimed this site yet.
Be the first shop to join BubbleSong Diving World.
Register your shop