Little Boat Harbour Dive Trail (Bremer Bay)

Meet the site

Little Boat Harbour is the dive that has made Bremer Bay a destination. This small, sheltered cove on Dillon Bay holds a marked dive trail through kelp forest, granite outcrops and sand patches in no more than about 10 m, and it is one of the most reliable places in Australia to see leafy seadragons – along with weedy seadragons – in the wild. Bremer Bay Dive, which has operated in the town since 1994, runs guided seadragon dives here most mornings; its owner has spent years researching seadragons and their conservation in the area, and guides can often go straight to known individuals.

The habitat is classic southern temperate: Ecklonia kelp and sargassum on the rocks, seagrass and sand in the gaps, and granite boulders with sponges, sausage corals, tube worms and basket stars. Leafy seadragons drift at the kelp margins, their camouflage making them easy to overlook, while weedies feed over the sand edges. The supporting cast includes cuttlefish, squid, octopus, stingrays, neon nudibranchs and other nudibranchs, morwong, harlequin fish, western blue devils and damselfish, with occasional seals and dolphins.

Because the depth is shallow and the entry easy, the site suits divers of all levels and free divers, and it is an outstanding macro and wide-angle photography location. The key is patience: swim slowly, look along the kelp edge, and avoid touching or chasing the dragons, which are protected under WA law.

Bremer Bay is a long way from anywhere – two hours past Albany – and the diving is weather-dependent, but for many temperate-water divers seeing a leafy seadragon here is reason enough for the drive. Combine it with the bay's other sites and, from December to April, an orca expedition to the Bremer Canyon.

What you might see

Leafy seadragons, weedy seadragons, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, stingrays, nudibranchs (including neon slugs), morwong, harlequin fish, western blue devil, damselfish, sausage corals, tube worms, basket stars, sponges, kelp

Location

Sheltered cove at Little Boat Harbour on Dillon Bay, south of Bremer Bay township, with a marked shore dive trail through kelp, granite and sand patches in up to 10 m – WA's best-known leafy seadragon site.

Facilities nearby

Parking above the beach; limited or no facilities on site. Air fills, hire gear and guides at Bremer Bay Dive in town; toilets and shops in Bremer Bay.