KANGAROO ISLAND DIVE SAFARI: North Coast of the Island

As we head out on Jim Thistleton's catamaran, the physical beauty of the north coast of Kangaroo Island looms large. Forces from long ago have pushed these layers of sedimentary rock towards the heavens. But we're here to discover what lies below this wall of cliffs, which can rise to as high as 270 metres offering the perfect back drop for divers.

"We're diving in about twenty metres doing three or four dives per day and you never know what to expect, what you're going to see, anything can turn up"

Sam should know, he's dived these waters for many years as Jim's assistant and today he's looking after American diver Phil Hookham who's heard about one of the island's rarest marine inhabitants the Leafy Sea Dragon.

So too has Miki, a dive instructor from Japan who's taken this opportunity to acquaint herself with other favourites like this giant, the Australian Sea Lion and its smaller counterpart the New Zealand Fur Seal. On Jim's trip you are guaranteed to meet nature up close. This fella is keen to say goodbye as we pack up and continue on our odyssey towards the northwestern corner of KI.

"We're travelling along the spectacular northern coast of Kangaroo Island with these majestic cliffs and every so often some of the locals put on a pretty amazing show of their own"

First a common dolphin rides the catamaran's shockwave. And soon a bottlenose is in on the act belly up so he can have a closer look at us. The island's special position at the entrance to Gulf St Vincent provides a special set of conditions for marine life and explains its abundance.

"This coastline is special in as much as you've got the high cliffs, you've got good waters and in the waters you've got such a diversity. Three ocean currents meet in this area, East, West and South plus the warm water out of the Gulf. It gives the range and diversity under the water that's probably unparalleled in the world. There's so much here that we don't know about".

"We had a marine biologist here with us just over a year ago for two days. She took twenty one specimens to the museum, nine of them were previously unknown to science"

But there's not much that Jim Thistleton doesn't know about this coastline. Soon we're heading into an area known as the Arches a truly magical place, where one secret chamber gives way to another, secret to us at least, because it seems some seals may have been luxuriating here for days.

As we ease our way into the arches, some prefer to keep to themselves. The scar down this fella' side is confirmation that these guys are prey to some fearsome predators. Today, however, these seals aren't too fussed as they put on a synchronised swimming display worthy of gold, but they want nothing more than to drift in the clear blue of this marine refuge. For us this has been a magical opening to a little piece of theatre that only gets better down below.

Down here they're as curious about us as we are of them. The north coast offers some of the best temperate water diving in the world. On my first dive with Jim we just take in some of the sights in an underwater chamber about fifteen metres deep.

"How was that?"

"Amazing"

"And they're so close"

"As you say if you just turn over on your belly they just wander by"

"Yep"

"But what gets you though, is that in a chamber like this is it just falls away"

With my confidence up I'm ready to head with Jim into deeper water in search of the rare leafy seadragon. They're considered extremely difficult to find and little wonder. You're looking at one. They're ability to blend into the surrounding seagrass is uncanny. But it's the loss of much of our seagrasses on the mainland, which now threatens this beautiful creature. Here on Kangaroo Island under the shelter of the northern cliffs, their habitat remains intact.

Like the seahorse, seadragons are able to change colour depending on age, diet, location and even their level of stress. New research shows they can travel hundreds of metres from their home base but thanks to a sophisticated navigational system they are able to return to exactly the same spot.

Their progress through water is slow, certainly slower than the giant rays which roam these waters, like stealth bombers of the deep. And nearby a blue groper marks out his patch, hammering away at what he believes should be lunch. Nearby another makes short work of an abalone while a school of parasites keep watch for any scraps. And all the while the leafy seadragon does its thing, by far one of the smallest down here but one of the most fasinating for the international diving community.

"They're found only in southern Australian waters so for international divers and photographers it's a very unique experience to come to this area and within a few days they're literally guaranteed sightings of these leafy seadragons and the ability to take photos of them"

If you want to see this amazing creature or just explore the awesome coastline of Kangaroo Island, then hop on board a charter with Kangaroo Island Diving Safaris. Jim's a qualified diving instructor and will soon have you feeling confident in the water. If you don't want to dive you can still enjoy the comfort of his catamaran - Wind Cheetah. Jim offers a rage of charter packages and you can contact him on 8559-3225. For more information email info@postcards-sa.com.au