Spring
Diving Australia in October
Leafy seadragon breeding, returning whales, and warming water on every coast.
October brings warming water nationwide and is one of the better months for South Australian jetty diving, with leafy seadragon males carrying eggs.
Humpbacks are still moving south with calves along the east coast, and the Great Barrier Reef is heading toward its coral spawning.
It is a good month for temperate photography — spring productivity brings out invertebrate life before summer plankton reduces visibility.
Green TurtleThe most commonly encountered turtle on Australian reefs, and a reliable sight at Cook Island and the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Grey Nurse SharkAustralia's most recognisable dive shark — ragged teeth, entirely harmless, and critically endangered on the east coast.
Humpback WhaleHeard far more often than seen — the soundtrack to winter diving on both Australian coasts.
Leafy SeadragonSouth Australia's emblem and the most elaborately camouflaged fish in the world.
NudibranchsSea slugs of absurd colour and variety — the reason temperate Australian macro diving has a global reputation.Spotted HandfishA critically endangered Tasmanian fish that walks on its fins and lives almost nowhere.
Weedy SeadragonThe leafy's more widespread cousin — the signature animal of Sydney and Victorian shore diving.Also good in October
Australian & New Zealand Fur SealsFast, acrobatic and endlessly curious — the highlight of Montague Island, Jervis Bay and Port Phillip.Australian Sea LionEndangered, endemic, and among the most genuinely playful animals a diver can meet.Eastern Blue GroperNew South Wales' state fish — large, inquisitive and often the first thing to greet a Sydney shore diver.Giant Kelp ForestTasmania's underwater forests — dramatically diminished, and worth seeing while they remain.Great White SharkEncountered in Australia from a cage at the Neptune Islands — wildlife tourism rather than scuba diving.Loggerhead TurtleHeavier-headed and less common than the green turtle, with a nationally significant nesting population near Bundaberg.Manta RayReef mantas at cleaning stations — Lady Elliot and Ningaloo are the most reliable encounters in Australia.Potato CodEnormous, docile groupers habituated to divers at Cod Hole on the Ribbon Reefs.Queensland GroperThe largest reef-dwelling bony fish in the world, and a defining feature of the SS Yongala.
Green Turtle
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
possible good peak
Grey Nurse Shark
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
possible good peak
Humpback Whale
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
possible good peak
Leafy Seadragon
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
possible good peak
