Scuba Divers love sighting strange unique and rare marine creatures, and will often travel halfway across the world in search of them. The Weedy Sea Dragon & the Leafy Sea Dragon are two such prized sightings, that only a few people have had a chance to observe in their natural environment, which is rapidly on the decline, making these already rare creatures even harder to find.
Weedy sea dragon
Weedy Sea Dragons belong to the sea horse family grow only up to 45 cms or 1.5 feet long. They are instantly recognizable by their uncharacteristically long snouts and weed-like projections protruding from their bodies that disguise them amongst their favorite surroundings which are large sea weed beds. The body of the Weedy is usually colored in yellowish hues like the surrounding sea weed, but has striking iridescent blue bands along its upper body, and a straight tail that helps it steer, unlike an ordinary sea horse that has a curled-up tail that is used for gripping.
Weedy Sea Dragons are found in water 3 to 50 m deep only around the southern coastline of Australia, and Tasmania, and they feed on tiny crustaceans and other zooplankton which they suck in through their straw-like snouts.
If you so wish to go in search of the weedy sea dragon, the only dive destinations where you can see them in their natural environment is around the shoreline of Southern Australian Sea weed beds or Tasmania’s giant kelp forests. And unless you know what you are looking for sea dragons can be easily overlooked as they blend in so well with their surroundings. Always look for a dive center that knows sites where these creature frequent. Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide is a good place to go in search of the dragon, and there are numerous dive sites near Sydney where there are almost guaranteed sightings. Other good locations to get good sightings are Port Stephens, New South Wales and Geraldton.
Leafy sea dragon
Leafy Sea Dragons are also close cousins of the sea horse, and unlike weedy sea horses, they grow only up to 30cms (1ft) and are a lot rarer to spot than the Weedy. Found in the same waters and endemic to Southern Australia only, the Leafy Sea Dragon is named for its large leaf-like appendages growing from its body and its color changing camouflage; make it resemble sea weed leaves. Leafy Sea Dragons are near threatened species and were endangered due to their large demand by aquarium owners across the world, until the government declared them a protected species.
Kangaroo Island and the waters around Adelaide south Australia, is perhaps the only place where scuba divers and underwater photographers can catch a good glimpse of these fabled dragons.
