Rapid Bay and the World of Dragons
- Jeff Bradley
- May 4
- 10 min read
Updated: May 5
Rapid Bay
Rapid Bay, located 1 hour and 30 minutes south of Adelaide near the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, is steeped in history and known as a place where dragons are said to exist. In 1836, Colonel William Light made his first landing in South Australia here on his survey brig 'Rapid', which led to the naming of 'Rapid Bay'.
In the 1940s, limestone mining began, and a large, long jetty was built with a T-section at the end, where the depth exceeds 10 meters, allowing ships to dock. But enough about history—you can read more on Wikipedia. You're here to learn about the diving, right?
Facilities
Rapid Bay was a Mining village for some time, and other than that its quite barren (good Idea to pack some food and water). As you enter Rapid Bay there is an unpowered camping ground (fees apply) and a Toilet block (its a good idea to stop here for a toilet break on your way in as the dive site is a little walk from here. Just past the camp ground on eastern side is the Rapid Bay Shore/Beach, popular for campers, swimmers and kayakers etc. On the western side of the camp ground is a stretch of sand and gravel to reach the Jetty and for parking (good idea to bring a mat to get changed on). Some days are busier than others depending on the weather and time of year so it is pretty much drive down and park as close to the jetty as you can.
The Dive Site and Dive Pre Planning
The old Rapid Bay Jetty has been deteriorating for some time and some areas that much that part of it has been cordoned off for public safety, entry to the old jetty from the shore and all the way up to the beginning of the T-section is out of bounds for Divers, Snorkelers, fishermen and basically all general public, there is signage on the new Jetty that shows this area.
A number of years ago a new Jetty was built along side the start of the old jetty for recreational fishing and serves as an entry point for Divers and snorkelers with stairs and a platform for entry/exit right at the end. Gear up in the sandy carpark and make the trek down the jetty to the end and enter from the platform. The new Jetty pretty much runs North and South with South being the shore and North heading out so make sure your aware of your compass headings. As landfall is at the South, Rapid bay is generally protected from Southerly, South Westerly and South Easterly winds so a little bit of wind from those directions is generally ok though I'd still avoid 30-40km winds generally. Anything Northerly is going to blow straight in to the bay and usually stir it up so I would avoid these days especially if its over 20km. If the swell is over 1 meter max then I would probably avoid it too, it would be a little bumpy at entry but would also stir up visibility. 6-7 meters visibility at Rapid Bay is the norm on most days and good enough, it does get up to 10-12 meters vis at times but also gets down to 1-2 meters. Other than that you can generally dive Rapid Bay at any time however you do get tidal currents there and whilst you can swim against them you will chew up a little extra air. Sometimes your against the current on the way out and sometimes your against it on the way in so you will need to adjust you dive plan accordingly while diving ie if your cruising with the current on the way out then adjust your air consumption turn around point so you have a little extra on the way back. Check the tide times and if your able to plan your dive with slack tide and dive within an hour on either side or low or high tide peak it helps to avoid the currents.
Dive Plan
Now that the pre planing is done it's time to dive.
Theres a couple of ways to do this and if its your first time diving here and your buddy does not know the the site either then providing the surface conditions are reasonable calm then I would go with option 1
Enter from the end of the new Jetty and surface swim (on your back) to the point on the old jetty you are allowed to enter, roughly 200m, little bit of a paddle but if the conditions are ok it's not actually that bad, and this option also conserves a little air. Descend here, take note of the rubble and markings underwater here so you know where you need to exit the jetty on the way back. Cut in under the jetty and follow it all the way up to the T-Section. Once you reach the T-Section (we refer to this as the 'T', or the 'Aquarium' due the the abundant schools of fish swimming around the Pilons or 'The Cathedral' due to the condensed Pilons with the sunlight piercing through) and have had a good look around you can head either Right (eastward) or Left (westward). Generally you would go either right or left from the T not both, due to air capacity. If you are doing a double dive do one side on the first dive then the other on the second dive. once you have explored the left or right side, head back to the T have another look at all the fishies then head back the way you came.
One other option is to follow the star droppers. Enter from the platform and Descend, at the end of the new Jetty you should see a Star dropper, head north from there and you will see another, and another all the way to the T section. Downfall with this route is that if the vis is not the best you may not be able to see the next star dropper and lose your way (if you do just point your compass North, or North West and eventually you'll hit the Jetty. The other downside to this route is that a big portion is just sea grass and not much else.
The last option is to descend at the platform, head west or north west just until you can see the jetty so as to stay out of the cordoned zone then follow along side until you reach the section of the jetty where the cordoned zone finishes. You will of course need to be familiar with identifying the entry point of the allowed zone.
Life around Rapid Bay Jetty
Rapid Bay is a really good dive site and there is a lot more to it than just leafy sea dragons. The fish life here is abundant and plentiful and colourful, there are Senator Wrasse, Southern Blue Devils, Old Wives, Magpie Perch, multiple species of Leather Jacket (Mosiac, Horseshoe, rough scale, pygmy), Long Snout Boar fish, Short Boar fish, schools of yellow tail scad, Globe Fish and the occasional school of King fish. you also get the odd Eagle Ray or Smooth Ray pass through and Fiddler Rays, Numb Rays and eastern shovel nose rays show them selves some times along with the odd Port Jackson. Giant cuttle fish as well as common cuttles like to make the old Jetty home at times, as well as Maori and southern Keeled Octopus. Of course there is always the star of
the dive site The Leafy Sea Dragon. Leafy Sea Dragons live and are found all down the South Coast of Australia from Victoria to Western Australia but Rapid Bay is the one site you are all most guaranteed a 90% chance to spot one, due to the fact that a lot of them like to call the old Rapid bay Jetty home, regularly hanging under and around the jetty, of course there are more away from the jetty hanging out in the sea grass but that can be like looking for a needle in a hay stack at times. Don't be fooled though, though they are quite large they blend in really well with the surrounding weeds and divers often swim straight past them or look straight at them with out seeing them, quite often I need to point to a Leafy Sea Dragon 3 times while conducting tours to my customers before their eyes register that there is actually an animal there. Even I have swam past them at times with out noticing them.
How to Behave around Dragons
It is important to understands that Leafy Sea Dragons are wild animals and delicate animals at that. Never Ever! touch a Leafy Sea Dragon, the are amazing a majestic creatures and should be admired and left at that. Respect the Leafy's personal space, if you see one they are not going to bolt away like a fish so just relax, keep you distance, control your buoyancy and admire the creature, take your photographs but don't get in its face. Let the Leafy do its thing and keeps its exit point open and free, let it go where it wants. If there is a group of you stay to one side, don't circle around it and block its exit points. Leafy Sea Dragons can feel stress, they like to stay low to ground and sudden shifts up the water column can be detrimental to it's health and well being. If you see a Leafy moving up the water column while in your presence its time to back off and leave it alone.
They are a Threatened and protected species and we would like them around for much longer, hopefully for ever.
Fantastic Dragons and Where to Find Them
Leafy Sea Dragons like to stay low and in amongst the weeds and sea grass, as I said above they camouflage and blend in really well with their surroundings and it is quite easy to look straight at them and not even see them. You can find them away from the jetty but it really is like looking for a needle in a hay stack and certain times of the year like late winter through spring sometimes this is what you need to do. But if your adventurous and you are scouring the seagrass on the shore side of the jetty, you want to look for and investigate bare patches of sand between the weeds as they like to stay low along the side of the sea grass. Occasionally you will see them on top of the grass. on the ocean side of the Jetty its more weedy than sea grassy so its just a matter of scouring as much area as you can, in periods when they are scarce around the Jetty this is the best option, though you do need to keep an eye on you air and plan for it. Fortunately, for most of the year there are a number of Leafy Sea Dragons that Like to call the Jetty home and the following will depict the best areas of the Jetty to search as of early 2025.
Point 1: As you enter the old Jetty and start heading up toward the T-Section search all the mounds and weeds sometimes their are Leafy sea Dragons around the weeds as you get close to the T-Section, how ever recently there are a few that prefer the southern part of this first straight section (ie almost straight after you enter under the jetty)
Point 2: What we call the left of the T (more accurately) the western leg of the T. There are a number of Leafy Sea Dragons that like to call the area from halfway to the end of this section home (from the second dolphin to the end dolphin). its a long way so keep an eye on your air consumption.
Point 3: As you head right of the T (east) on the Northern (ocean) side of the first dolphin, there is a fallen structure (quite big) we call 'The Grid' that lays on the seabed. A few Leafy's like to call this home, search in and around the Grid and under the Jetty close to the grid.
Point 4: Sometimes you can spot Leafy's around the second and last dolphins.
The areas marked in green are weedy or sea grassy areas around the jetty you may want to search (though you could spread these search areas as much as you like). In periods where Leafy Sea Dragons don't seem to be around the jetty, the weeds on the northern side of the jetty would be my goto to search. Good Luck.
How to get to Rapid Bay
Where To get Scuba Gear
If you need to rent gear for a dive at RapidBay here are a couple of Dive shops in Adelaide and Second Valley that can help you out.
Diving Adelaide
Sea Dragon Dive Logde
Adelaide Scuba
Go2Dive
Guided Dive Tours
Diving Adelaide offer Guided Leafy Sea Dragon Dive Tours, call them or visit their website. I work through Diving Adelaide you may request me as your guide or reach out to myself if you would like to check my availability for an upcoming trip. Of course there are other awesome Dive Masters at Diving Adelaide also.
Seadragon Dive Lodge offer Guided Leafy Sea Dragon tours also, visit the web link above to reach out.
About Me
My name is Jeff, and I'm located in South Australia. I began diving casually in the early 2000s. Although I loved it, life got in the way, and I stepped away from it for a while. In early 2023, I decided to return to diving and haven't looked back since; these days, I dive more than I sleep. I got myself a GoPro, followed by a compact camera, to capture some memorable snapshots and show everyone how incredible the underwater world is, especially after dark. I quickly developed a newfound passion for photography and have been striving to grow and improve ever since, capturing as many amazing sea creatures as possible in their natural habitat. I am an active PADI Dive Master and regularly run Leafy Sea Dragon Tours, guided night dives, and refresher courses through Diving Adelaide, as I love diving and sharing the incredible underwater world both in person and through photography.
Photography By Jeff Bradley
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