Floating weed or magnificent creature?

The leafy Seadragon (Phycodurus eques), is a flamboyant marine creature

Recently I was fortunate enough to travel to Adalaide and undertake a few dives searching for this unusual looking creature.The leafy Seadragon (Phycodurus eques), is a flamboyant marine creature. These remarkable animals are a unique species of fish belonging to the Syngnathidae family, which also includes seahorses and pipefish.

Native to the coastal waters of southern and western Australia, including the waters around Edithburgh. This small town is about 2.5 hours north of Adalaide, Fortunately, this happened to be the exact location we happened to be traveling to in search of this amazing creature. We had planned to arrive in the afternoon and scope out our dive location, before undertaking a night dive on the Edithburgh jetty. Unfortunately, the weather God’s had decided not to play ball with us, and the wind was coming straight into the jetty making things rather nasty, with huge waves crashing into the piles of the jetty, we decided to cancel the night dive.

The morning dawned and the sun was shining, and very little wind was blowing so it was ideal conditions to jump in and have a look around. The jetty piles which just the evening before had been hammered were so peaceful now and the colours that adorned them were magnificent, starfish, nudibranchs, anemones, tunicates and decorator crabs adorned these massive posts. The light shining through the water made for fantastic sun rays in my photos, and of course I was fascinated by the many different nudibranchs. But we weren't there for them.

I had been told about a spot about 50-100 metres off the jetty, halfway down, that I needed to look for. so off in search the three of us head, about 35 minutes of futile searching through every patch of weed we could find we decided to head back to the jetty, without seeing this majestic creature, I was feeling pretty disheartened at this point. I must add here that a striking feature of leafy seadragons is their appearance. They have long, slender bodies covered in elaborate, leaf-like appendages, this provides exceptional camouflage among the kelp forests and seagrass beds where they live. These leafy projections help them blend seamlessly into their surroundings, making them incredibly difficult to spot for potential predators and prey alike. This I found was also very relevant to divers such as myself in search of them to photograph.

As I swam off I soon noticed that my dive buddy Susan wasn’t with us anymore, turning around and back tracking my path to where we had been just a few seconds earlier, would you believe it here was Susan with her camera clicking away frantically and in front of her was the elusive Leafy Seadragon we had been searching for just moments ago in the exact spot we had been. Of course, Susan, my dive buddy, had spotted it just as we turned and headed back towards the jetty, she had decided to stay and get photos rather than come tell us. (good on her) She knew I would come back looking for her as every good dive buddy should. About 25 – 30 minutes passed and so many photos were snapped. I no longer felt disheartened, I was now overjoyed with wonder and appreciation for an amazing creature, one that I had never seen before now, it is right in front of me. Such a magical experience. Words really cannot express how you feel when you see such a beautiful creature you have always dreamt of seeing. The trip back to the jetty was a lot more joyous and we happened to be the only dive buddy team that managed to this this amazing wonder of nature on this dive, others tried diving the same location but could not find it again.

Feeling content, we head back to Adalaide for our last diving day tomorrow in search of this awesome wonder, this time at a location called Rapid Bay south of Adalaide another well know spot for Leafy’s. Unfortunately, this day didn't show any luck for this diver, although a couple of other buddy pairs did manage to locate one on each dive. I was still buzzing from the previous day. A fantastic trip with a great team of divers and lots of fun had by all.
A little information about the Leafy seadragon. Leafy Seadragons primarily feed on small crustaceans, such as brine shrimp and tiny fish, using their tubular mouths to suck in their prey.

Despite their fragile appearance, these seadragons are skilled and ferocious hunters, using their excellent camouflage and slow, stealthy movements to sneak up and capture their food. They strike lightning fast with a suction motion and inhale their pray,

Like most Syngnathid, leafy seadragons exhibit an intriguing method of reproduction. Similar to seahorses, male leafy seadragons carry the developing eggs. The female seadragon deposits her eggs onto a specialized area located under the male's tail, where they are fertilized. The male then carries the eggs, which are attached to his tail by a stalk, until they hatch. This unique method of reproduction is a fascinating aspect of leafy seadragon biology.

Leafy seadragons are remarkable marine animals that showcase the wonders of nature's adaptation and evolution. Their mesmerizing appearance and intriguing behaviour make them a subject of fascination for marine biologists, divers, and underwater photographers alike. By understanding and appreciating these unique creatures, we can contribute to their conservation and ensure that they continue to grace the underwater landscapes of places like Edithburgh, Australia, for generations to come.

Thanks to my dive buddy Susan Fromm, her eagle eyes were instrumental in finding this amazing creature. Jess from Dive-Experience for being our dive guide on this dive and looking out for us and for being in most of my shots ;-)

Thanks also to Global Dive, Kate and Kiel Heeks Purell for putting on this awesome trip in conjunction with Dive-Experience. I hope to return one day and find this magnificent creature once again.