An Australian icon and the absolute star of Portsea Pier, the weedy seadragon
Five years ago, if you had asked somebody where to dive in Australia, the vast majority would likely suggest, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Great Barrier Reef. However, in recent years, Melbourne, Victoria has become more well known for its remarkable abundance of fantastic marine creatures. An added bonus, almost every popular dive site is easily accessible from shore!
A 90-minute drive from Melbourne's bustling central business district is the coastal town of Portsea, located on the Mornington Peninsula. Nestled amongst the mega-million dollar homes and quaint cafés is an old wooden pier. This humble pier is renowned for boasting some of the best diving in all of Australia. As divers descend into the waters under Portsea Pier, they are met with pylons completely encrusted in vibrant corals and kelps, not dissimilar to other piers in the region. However, a keen eye may notice a difference in plant life and substrate, particularly the sandstone sediment bottom and fields of sargassum. It is this slight difference that sets Portsea apart and makes it an exceptionally diverse dive site that many an underwater photographer or diver will never tire of.
Looking for all the world like flotsam, a venomous velvetfish lies in wait on a bryozoan-covered pier piling
While the Melbourne area doesn't get a massive cuttlefish aggregation like Whyalla further west, giant cuttlefish are still a relatively common sight around Portsea
Portsea Pier is home to incredible biodiversity, from nudibranchs and cephalopods to sharks and rays. However, the star of the show is the charismatic and fantastical weedy seadragon. "Weedies" -- as they are affectionately known -- are one of Australia's endemic hero species. Ranging across the almost the entirety of the southern Australian coastline, this incredible relative of the seahorse is high on every photographer's list when they visit.
Nearby Flinders Pier has become synonymous with seadragons and is likely the most well-known spot for them among visitors. However, in my opinion, Portsea is just as good, if not better. The bountiful sargassum fields provide exceptional habitat for the dragons who, despite their wild colors, are masters of camouflage. The sargassum also provides habitat for vast schools of mysid shrimp -- the staple of a weedy seadragon's diet.
The dragon's den! A stunning male weedy seadragon, ferrying a clutch of freshly laid eggs, hides in the sargassum fields that mark Portsea apart from other weedy locations
Pygmy leatherjackets are pretty ubiquitous throughout southern Australia and Portsea is no exception. They still make for a wonderfully cute photo subject!
As with all wildlife, nothing is a guarantee, but the dragons can be seen at Portsea Pier all 365 days of the year. The pier itself lends itself to photographing them, as the colorful pilings are a wonderful background for wide-angle images. Pleasing backdrops of golden sargassum, shallow waters and an incredible historic pier provide the perfect backdrop for dragon shots, as well as ample opportunities to practice and perfect desirable sunburst shots.
While it would be hard to deny that the weedy seadragons are the hero species and main reason to visit Portsea, the dive site is much more than just a dragon's den. Large rays and small sharks can often be seen patrolling the waters at the edge of visibility, a resident family of globefish is often around to greet divers, and potbelly and shortheaded seahorses are commonly encountered. Cuttlefish and Maori octopuses are regularly spotted and those with keen eyes may be rewarded with a sighting of my all-time-favorite animal, the blue-ringed octopus. These highly venomous cephalopods can be seen day or night and catching one out in the open often steals the show -- even away from the dragons. For a select, exceptionally lucky few, perhaps even a tasseled anglerfish will make an appearance.
While not necessarily uncommon, the staggeringly well-camouflaged tasseled anglerfish is very rarely seen
Unfortunately, since the dredging and channel widening in Port Phillip back in the early 2000s, Portsea Pier has become a much more challenging site to dive, particularly due to the surge and lack of natural breaks to reduce impact before it hits shore. As a result, tide and swell play a major part in diving Portsea. Low swell -- less than five feet is ideal (I always check the swell coming through Nepean Heads) -- and an outgoing tide are the preferred conditions to dive the site. The outgoing tide helps to reduce the force of the incoming swell and makes for a much smoother and more enjoyable dive.
The blue-ringed octopus, my favorite animal on Earth and an absolute treat to see whenever they show up. Portsea is a wonderful site for finding these venomous little cephalopods
Late spring and early summer is the go-to time for diving Portsea. During the last weeks of September and first few weeks of October, the seadragons begin courtship, and shortly thereafter, our male weedies begin sporting bejeweled tails after the female ladens him with a clutch of bright pink eggs. As water temperatures creep up and the weather calms, divers can expierence truly stunning conditions for exploring the pier. October also happens to be an exceptional time for cephalopods, so those photographers who want to see weedies with eggs and have their best chance at a blue-ringed or Maori octopus, will want to target the spring season.
A beautiful, and matching pair of potbellied seahorses clinging to a kelp frond at night