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Overview
The Neptune Islands, off the coast of Port Lincoln, South Australia, are renowned for exhilarating great white shark cage diving experiences. Divers can also encounter playful Australian sea lions. The islands feature rugged underwater topography and are a key aggregation site for apex predators.
Briefing note
Primary site for great white shark cage diving. Expect cold water and potentially strong currents. Permits are required for shark cage diving operations.
What you'll see
2 species curated- year-roundGreat White SharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundAustralian Sea LionPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceGreat White Shark
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 65 within 50 km
- Cluster months
- Year-round
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Wildbook (Sharkbook, Whale Shark, Manta Matcher) — Wild Me
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18–21 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Feb | 19–22 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Mar | 18–21 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Apr | 17–20 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| May | 16–19 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Jun | 15–18 °C | 10–18 m | strong |
| Jul | 14–17 °C | 8–15 m | strong |
| Aug | 14–17 °C | 8–15 m | strong |
| Sep | 15–18 °C | 10–18 m | moderate |
| Oct | 16–19 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Nov | 17–20 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Dec | 18–21 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Next step
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