Rapid Bay Jetty

Rapid Bay Jetty sits on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide, on the eastern shore of Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. It is one of the most popular shore dives in the state, built around the pylons of the old and new jetties, which have become encrusted with sponges and soft corals over decades and are well known for leafy sea dragons. The dive is rated beginner, reaching a maximum depth of around 10 metres, which keeps most of the jetty accessible to less experienced divers. Nudibranchs are a common find among the pylons, and divers have also reported blue-ringed octopus, cuttlefish, dolphins, eagle rays, frogfish, trevally and wobbegong sharks around the structure. Some divers have noted hazards around the pylons such as cast nets snagged on the structure, metal straps on the bottom, sharp metal edges and stonefish, so care around the pylons is worthwhile. Visibility and conditions can change with wind and swell, so calmer days are typically favoured for photography around the pylons.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Blue-ringed octopusBlue-ringed octopusReported here · unconfirmed
• DolphinDolphinReported here · unconfirmed
• CuttlefishCuttlefishReported here · unconfirmed
• Western TalmaChelmonops curiosusReported here · unconfirmed
• Senator WrassePictilabrus laticlaviusReported here · unconfirmed
• NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• TrevallyTrevallyReported here · unconfirmed
• FrogfishFrogfishReported here · unconfirmed
• Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
• WobbegongWobbegongReported here · unconfirmed