Whyalla Cuttlefish Migration

The annual cuttlefish migration is one of the most spectacular underwater displays in SA!

Whyalla Cuttlefish Migration

Every year during Australia’s Winter months, thousands of Giant Australian Cuttlefish, from all over the coast, come together in the shallows around Whyalla to mate, rest and lay their eggs! It is, undoubtedly, the largest and most spectacular congregation of cephalopods anywhere in the world! So spectacular in fact that it was featured by Sir David Attenborough on the Blue Planet II series!

While they’re mating they are constantly changing colour, so it’s like you’re swimming over a field of disco balls, and they don’t mind a few snorkelers or divers in the water while they’re putting on their show! It’s a very easy swim or dive (only a maximum of about 5 metres deep) and it’s well worth the drive up there!

Best time to see them

The annual cuttlefish migration takes place during the Winter months. The best time to see them is in June and July. Whyalla is located 500km north of Adelaide. You can simply book some rental (snorkel or dive) gear and go see them with family or friends, or you can book on our annual weekend away (details below)!

Annual Mating Season (June / July)

Join us on our annual pilgrimage to Whyalla to see this incredible event! Our team of experienced guides will provide you with detailed briefings on the site, share interesting facts about these remarkable creatures and lead you on a relaxed scuba or snorkelling tour, so you can be sure to have the best possible experience!

Our tours are for adults and children over 14 years of age. We allow a maximum of 6 participants per guide so we don’t disturb these fascinating creatures but also to ensure your enjoyment and safety throughout the experience. Small groups also mean that your guide is always on hand to assist or to answer any questions you may have.

All our guides are passionate PADI Scuba Diving Instructors and Divemasters and are very experienced at leading both scuba and snorkelling tours.

We include all rental gear with our tours and provide the same extra warm gear that we use to scuba dive all through winter, so you’ll be warm and cosy throughout!

Why should you choose Diving Adelaide for your cuttlefish adventure?

All gear included: No hidden costs. We provide 7mm wetsuits, hooded vests, boots, gloves, fins, masks and snorkels. We also provide all hardwear like BCD’s, regulators, tanks and weights, so you don’t need to bring anything.
All gear available on site: We bring all the gear to Whyalla for you, so you don’t need to worry about collecting, returning or washing any gear.
Small groups: We take no more than 6 participants per guide.
Experienced guides: Qualified PADI Scuba Diving Instructors and Divemasters with years of experience.
Extra warm hire gear: We use extra thick 7mm wetsuits, with hooded vests, 5mm boots and gloves so you’ll be warm and cosy.

Session Details

All scuba diving and snorkelling experiences are approximately 2 hours long from start to finish. We’ll start off by getting you fitted into your gear and giving you a thorough briefing of the site, safety considerations and marine life interaction rules.

After that we’ll head off to the water and enjoy one of the most extraordinary marine life congregations on earth! At the end of the session we’ll do a short debriefing to answer any last questions you may have before you head off to change into some warm clothes and grab a bite to eat!

We’ll start off by getting you fitted into your gear and giving you a thorough briefing of the site, safety considerations and marine life interaction rules. After that we’ll head off to the water and enjoy one of the most extraordinary marine life congregations on earth! At the end of the snorkelling session we’ll do a short debriefing to answer any last questions you may have before you head off to change into some warm clothes and grab a bite to eat!

Good to know:

For all dive bookings, all participants must be CERTIFIED divers.
A minimum age of 12 years applies to our diving experiences and a minimum age of 14 years applies to our snorkelling experiences. All children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
Please arrive at least 30min before the start of your session.
There are toilets, change rooms and picnic facilities on site. There are also coffee and food trucks available on most weekends during this time.
You will be asked to input your wetsuit size when you book. If you do not know your wetsuit size, please base your sizing best guess on your standard T-Shirt size. We always try our best to make sure that everyone gets a dry wetsuit for the start of their session and use the sizing provided to plan this. Unfortunately, this is not always possible so some wetsuits may still be damp when you put them on.
All wetsuits and other gear are thoroughly washed and sterilised between uses.