Rapid Bay Jetty

Verified2026-09-30 checkedMacroNight

The most reliable leafy seadragon dive in the world, off the end of an old jetty.

Depth: 4–12 m13–39 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Pier · Shore
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 35°31.368′S 138°11.082′E
Activities: Scuba · Freediving

Rapid Bay is a disused loading jetty an hour and a half south of Adelaide, and the T-section at its end is where leafy seadragons are found more dependably than anywhere else. They are the size of a forearm and they are almost impossible to see: the trick is to stop swimming and look at one patch of weed until part of it turns out to be an eye. Do not touch the weed and do not chase — a seadragon holds position by hiding rather than by swimming, and a fin wash moves it out of the only camouflage it has. The new jetty is the entry; the old one alongside is a permit dive.

About 90 minutes by road south of Adelaide via Yankalilla. Park at the jetty and walk on; stairs at the end.

Best season

ExcellentDec–Mar
GoodApr–Nov

Before you get in

A night site. A backup light and a navigation plan matter more than usual.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 15.9°C61°F
Wave height: 0.6 m2 ft
Air temperature: 15.2°C59°F
Wind speed: 16.1 km/h10 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

High04:120.15 m
Low09:04-0.25 m
High15:450.46 m
Low21:45-0.34 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Leafy seadragonPhycodurus equesCommon
Weedy seadragonPhyllopteryx taeniolatusSeasonal
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.

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