What are good dive sites to scuba dive with cuttlefish?
My husband and I scuba dive together often, and he really wants to get the chance to scuba dive with cuttlefish (and why not they are super cute!).
This can involve night diving. What dive sites are good locations to dive with cuttlefish? - happy for any world wide destinations.
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It looks like they are all around the world, except for American waters, with special concentrations in Whyalla Australia.
They are widely distributed according to species. For example the European common cuttlefish is found all along the eastern Atlantic from Scandinavia to South Africa and the Mediterranean. Most other species, such as the flamboyant cuttlefish, are found in Asian waters and in Australasia. They are not found in American waters.
You can spot the tiny flamboyant cuttlefish in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and northern Australia. Its incredible color patterns vary from black to yellow to purple to white, making it a favorite among photographers and macro lovers. It “walks” on the seafloor rather than using its mantle to swim.
You can only find the giant cuttlefish, the world’s biggest, on the southern coast of Australia. Adults can weigh over 22 pounds (10 kg). One of the most spectacular times to see them is during the annual mating aggregation in Whyalla. Thousands of animals populate the shallow waters from mid-May through July each year, first spawning and then dying.
Although Cuttlefish can be found elsewhere, Whyalla is the only known place on earth where thousands aggregate to reproduce. In 2016, the annual estimated population was more than 177,000 Cuttlefish!
It’s an amazing show. They change colours to attract each other or to camouflage with the nearby rocks and algae. Snorkellers and divers can dip in the middle of them. They don’t care and stick around as if no one was watching. They’re too occupied with their mating rituals to bother about stalkers. I had never seen Cuttlefish from that close before.
Tips to See Thousands of Giant Cuttlefish in South Australia (Whyalla)
Every year between the months of May and July thousands of Giant Australian Cuttlefish find their way to Whyalla for their mating rituals along with hundreds of divers that will go up to catch them in the act each year!
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