Cuttlefish, Great Whites & Whales

June 2021

not my photo, but exactly what we saw

The Eyre Peninsula hosts an amazing variety of marine life.  The crystal clear waters provide a perfect environment for many species of fish, seals, sealions and sharks.

Once a year, between May and August, giant Australian cuttlefish arrive into the Spencer Gulf, just off Whyalla, to breed.  Historically this aggregation has consisted of tens of thousands of individuals (up to one cutrtlefish per square meter) and is internationally recognised as an iconic natural phenomenon. As we were in the right place at the right time we booked a snorkel tour with Whyalla Dive Centre to get a better look.

We arrived at the dive shop where we were fully kitted out with wet suit liners, 7mm wetsuits, hooded vests, boots, gloves, flippers and snorkeling masks.  There are two places recognised as the best snorkeling sites, Stony Point and Black Point, both located between Point Lowly and Whyalla.  As we were staying in Port Lowly we arranged to meet the tour the following day at Stony Point.  At 10am we arrived at the designated meeting point and joined our dive guide and 4 others booked onto the tour.  After quick introductions we waded into the water (a mere 40m from the car park) and started snorkeling.  Of course we had previously seen pictures of the cuttlefish which showcased their ability to change colour to match their background – quite amazing given that they are apparently colourblind. We weren’t really expecting to see very much, especially as we were told that the South Australian government recently lifted the ban preventing catching these amazing creatures. The ban has been in place since 2013 when only 13,000 of the species gathered near Whyalla - down from more than 200,000 a few years prior, but the ban changed last year allowing catching to resume provided it takesg place 100m off the coast line.  Unfortunately, this action prevents some cuttlefish from reaching the breeding grounds and, as a consequence, the numbers are already diminished compared to previous years.

We probably snorkeled for about 1 minute before we started to spot these giant molluscs.  We saw one, then another, until there were too many to count.  The females were smaller than the males and a lot less showy with their colouring of browns and greys.  The males varied in size depending on their age and breeding success previously.  Once the cuttlefish have mated they die (from exhaustion?) which means that unsuccessful males returning the following year have now doubled in size and are, no doubt, keen to get in on the action.  There is a fair amount of competition for the females and the males put on quite a show with vibrant colours of blue and green and a fluffing out of their skirts.  Size and colour seem to win the argument and the successful male mates with the female by depositing sperm into a pocket contained within her mouth.  Not content with one pocket of sperm the female may mate with up to a dozen different partners storing each pocket of sperm before laying her eggs one at a time and fertilizing them with sperm of choice. 

Ian is a strong swimmer whereas I am best described as most unnatural in the water.  Not long after getting into the water I felt a hand touching mine and was only too pleased to grab hold, grateful that Ian was keeping an eye on me as promised.  We swam along like this together for some time until I bobbed above the water and had a minor drowning panic.  This was not really a problem as I was able to grab Ian and use him as a flotation device although I was a bit surprised that he was trying to swim away from me.  I did manage to hold on long enough to right myself and in the process realised that I had been swimming along hand in hand with Jean from Queensland.  Thank you Jean and my sincere apologies.

Feeling quite buoyed by my success with the cuttlefish, I decided to do a cage shark dive at the Neptune Islands Conservation Park which is accessed by charter boat from Port Lincoln.  Since 2002 this area is the only site within Australia where shark cage diving is legally permitted and the only other places able to offer this experience are three sites off the coast of South Africa, two in USA, Bluff in New Zealand and Guadalupe Island, Mexico.  Calypso Charters is one of three shark dive operators in Port Lincoln that have permission to throw bait in an attempt to attract the sharks and so they seemed a good choice to get to see a Great White. 

This experience is a big day starting with a pick up at 6am from wherever you are staying.  I was collected from the Port Lincoln Tourist Park along with about 15 members of a rugby team having an away trip.  We were all taken to the Calypso offices at the marina where we met up with the rest of the group.  All 30 of us, plus crew members then boarded our vessel for the day and headed out to the Neptune Islands which are about 3 hours offshore.  These islands provide good shark viewing opportunities year round with peak season between May and October. The presence of sharks in this area is primarily due to the large numbers of long nose fur seals that breed here.  In fact, it is Australia's largest colony of these seals with half the country's population in residence. 

shark on our TOUR

Once anchored off the islands we were given a detailed explanation of how things were going to work.  We were split into five groups of six and provided with wetsuits, boots and masks.  The viewing cage is attached to the back of the boat and is supplied with air to six separate regulators negating the need for individual air tanks.  Each group in turn was then instructed to climb into the cage, take up their allotted regulators and positions within the cage and look for sharks.  Once the cage is submerged the crew start to throw out berley as well as a mass of tuna entrails attached to a line and buoy.  It is then a case of waiting and waiting and waiting.  After 50 minutes of no show, group one are hauled up and replaced by group two.  My slot was group three and so another 50 minutes on and it was my turn.  Suited and booted I climbed down into the cage.  The regulator took a bit of getting used to but after a couple of minutes I was able to take in my surroundings.  The water was a gorgeous turquoise blue with a clarity that would surely enable one to see a shark approach from quite a way away.  No shark so far but masses of silver trevally all gathered around the cage.  These are beautiful fish with big round eyes that look right at you.  They were swimming in and out of the cage and appeared both curious and totally unafraid.  Many of them were tagged, possibly by SAFTAG which is the primary fish tagging program in SA.  Data collected by recreational anglers provides info to analyse and study fish migration and growth rates.  As well as trevally there were a number of yellow tailed king fish some of them up to a metre and a half in length.  These were a bit more fierce looking and were more interested in the bait than us.

Anyway, back to the Great Whites and time up for group three and so we were hauled back on deck.  Fffffrreeeeezzing.  At the end of May on an overcast day with a sharp, chill wind, it would be an honest observation to say that it was somewhat south of cold.  The question now was whether to stay wet and cold in the wetsuit hoping for a shark to show and an opportunity to jump back into the cage, or to change into warm, dry clothing and have lunch.  Really not sure what to do, I stayed in the wetsuit and headed inside the boat for a chicken drumstick and salad.  It was definitely warmer inside the boat but my body temperature was not really responding and the drumstick now seemed to be upsetting the status quo provided, so far, by a few Kwells.  Enough was enough, time to get changed.  10 minutes later and guess what?  Shark!  Shark!  Over there!  Where?  Where?  On the left!

Everyone dashed to the back of the boat where group four were down in the cage and sure enough there was the recognisable fin of a Great White.  The shark was a female between 3 and 4m long and was circling the boat very close to the surface.  Keen for everyone to have an opportunity to get down into the cage, group four was hauled up and group five dispatched.  The cage was now on 15 minute submersions as group one, two and three were preparing to go again.   Bugger, what was I going to do now?  The thought of getting back into the wetsuit was akin to heading out in a snowstorm in a cardigan and knickers. Yes, I know it didn’t stop Bridget but we aren't talking Mark Darcy here.  How badly did I really want to see the damn shark?  Not badly enough, and anyway wasn’t it enough to be stood on the deck peering over?  Decision made, I grabbed my phone and took some video of the fin and occasionally the tail.  Great, job done.

Despite not returning underwater, I did have some observations about this impressive fish.  It certainly didn't lurch out of the water with mouth agape and a murderous look in its eye, rather, it moved around the boat with grace and beauty and conveyed a sense of curiosity rather than predatory intent.  None of the fish swimming around the boat seemed bothered by its presence and even its attempt to grab the bait was rather half-hearted.

In recent years the number of Great Whites off this part of the Australian coastline have declined and I asked one of the older members of crew why that was.  He didn't have a definitive answer but suggested that Orcas might be part of the problem as they were known to prey on the Great White specifically for their livers which are rich in oils and fats.  Amazing to think that Jaws has something to worry about aside from man.

It was about 4pm by the time everyone wanting to view underwater had seen what they had come to see and the boat hauled anchor and we set off back to Port Lincoln.  The boat’s bar was now open and the day celebrated in true Aussie style.  We eventually docked just after 7pm and were returned by bus to our accommodation.  The skipper and crew did a great job and made the day a fun experience for all despite the cold.  On a warmer day this is definitely one for the bucket list.

To finish off our marine education in SA we visited the whale lookout at the Head of Bight.  From May to September the Southern Right Whales arrive in large numbers to calve and raise their young.  A typical, mature, female Southern Right whale grows to 17.5 metres and weighs in at 85 tonnes, outsizing the males by a good 30 tonnes and 2 metres in length.  The calves are delivered tail first, weigh about 1 tonne and measure around 5.5 metres.  Mother and calf will stay at the Head of Bight for 3-4 months during which time the calves will reach 7-8 metres and gain an average of 50-60kg every day in preparation for their 4-5,000km journey to their summer Sub-Antarctic feeding grounds.  A remarkable fact is that during this whole time the Right Whale mothers do not eat and therefore, not surprisingly, tend to breed only every three years or so.

Breeding ground preferences seem to target areas that are exposed to strong, southerly, high energy swells where steep cliffs and deep waters are close by.  These habitats possess high levels of naturally occurring background sound – a feature which characteristically makes it difficult for acoustically sensitive predators (Killer Whales again) to detect the presence of the vulnerable calves. Killer Whales or Orca, known to hunt in packs, have also been reported to attack lone mature whales for their tongues, which are often the size of an African elephant!

The Southern Right Whale is still an endangered species.  From a peak population of 100,000 in the early 1800s, numbers may be marginally increasing from a low base of 4,000.

We weren’t overly optimistic that we would actually spot any of these enormous creatures and were delighted to see at least 5 or 6 of them in the bay.  One female decided to put on a bit of a show with much tail slapping or, to use the correct term, Lobtailing.  An action used to communicate, cool down, drive off predators or just for fun.  It’s difficult to put into words the feeling of wonder and perhaps Philip Hoare described it best in his book, The Whale: “my entire presence is undermined”.