How to Photograph Giant Cuttlefish in Whyalla, Australia

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Giant cuttlefish, sometimes referred to as ‘the chameleons of the sea,’ are the largest cuttlefish species and are primarily found in the waters off southern Australia. One of the best places to see them is in Spencer Gulf, near Whyalla in South Australia.

Each year, from May to August, thousands of giant cuttlefish gather here for their incredible annual migration and breeding event, known as the cuttlefish aggregation.

This natural spectacle is one of the highlights of the Australian marine environment and attracts divers and marine enthusiasts from around the world who come to witness, film, and photograph their vibrant displays of colour and complex mating behaviours.

In this article, we’ll look at how to get great underwater images of this charismatic, colourful, and engaging species and come home with fantastic images of this unmissable underwater phenomenon.

What to expect at the Whyalla dive site

The dive site at Whyalla is one of the most easily accessible dive sites around.

A mere twenty-minute drive from the town and a short walk over some large flat rocks from the car park, you can expect to dive in and instantly (visibility-depending) see hundreds of cuttlefish scattered around in water that is about four to five metres deep, depending on the tide.

If you are by yourself, you can arrange for a guide from the Whyalla dive shop or go out with one of their many tour groups, which dive and snorkel most days during the season.

If you are a confident and experienced diver, then it is also easy to dive with your buddy and not get lost.

There is a glass-bottom boat tour that runs in this area, so you need to be careful which parts you swim in, but signs are up, and if you want to stay and do another dive instead of heading back to the town, there is usually a van with hot drinks and food (and if you are lucky, a fire).

The water temperature is around 11°C, and air temperature in the mornings can be as low as 2°C.

Top Tip: Prepare for cool waters! As the site is so shallow, you could easily spend up to two hours down there on one tank, but the biggest limiting factor is the cold. The first year I went, my wetsuit was a very old seven-millimetre, and I could last only an hour before having to get out. But once I changed to a good-quality eight-millimetre suit, I was able to last 90 minutes.

Once you’re actually in the water, it can be a little overwhelming to see so many giant cuttlefish stretching as far as the eye can see! You will feel spoilt for choice on which group to swim over to first.

You might see entire stories playing out: a lone male swimming around looking for a mate, a group of more than ten with some locked in a mating embrace and others fighting with each other, or even smaller, more timid cuttlefish just sitting there, watching.

The trick is to take a breath, wait, and see which group you want to go and view first. Focusing your photography efforts on a particular group or individual will yield the best results; it’s impossible to capture it all at once!

Giant cuttlefish behaviour

It’s worth brushing up on giant cuttlefish behaviour before you head out on this dive. Giant cuttlefish prefer rocky reefs, seagrass beds, and sandy seabeds, where they can hunt and use their impressive camouflage to hide from predators.

They change colour using specialised skin cells called chromatophores, iridophores, and leucophores, which expand and contract to reflect and absorb light. These rapid, dynamic colour changes are used for camouflage, communication, and intimidation.

If you spot a cuttlefish displaying this remarkable ability, it’s the perfect moment to get your camera ready!

Giant cuttlefish are among the most fascinating marine creatures to dive with. Their ever-changing colours and shapes make them a captivating subject, especially during their breeding season. Below are a couple of their most interesting behaviours.

The mating dance – time to do battle

During the breeding season, male cuttlefish typically outnumber females – sometimes by as much as 11:1 in places like Whyalla. This leads to intense competition for mates, which often involves spectacular displays.

Male cuttlefish will engage in what looks like a dance, flashing their skin in pulses and extending their arms and tentacles to appear larger, hoping to outdo their rivals.

In many cases, this visual display is enough to intimidate other males, but occasionally, it leads to physical confrontations. During these battles, cuttlefish may grapple with their arms and tentacles, sometimes losing limbs in the process.

In such encounters, cuttlefish may also use their ability to squirt ink to escape if the fight becomes too intense.

The mating process

Giant cuttlefish mate “head-to-head.” Males use a specialised arm to transfer packets of sperm (spermatophores) into a pouch near the female’s mouth. Smaller males may use cunning tactics, such as disguising themselves as females, to slip past larger rivals.

After mating, the female lays fertilised eggs in crevices or protected areas.

Even during mating, competition persists. Sometimes, other males will attempt to break up a pair and take over, leading to intense and visually stunning moments – an ideal opportunity for photographers.

New life and the death of a giant

The giant cuttlefish will lay around 100–300 eggs in small white sacs under the ledges of rocks to help protect them from predators. The female isn’t maternal and won’t look after the eggs or the young once they are born. Image 9 gives you an idea of what to look out for.

The giant cuttlefish only live around 1–2 years, and often around the bay, you will find dead cuttlefish floating on the surface, with predators like birds, seals, and dolphins coming in to eat the remains. The seals and dolphins will also come in and take live ones as well.

Top tip for photographing giant cuttlefish in action

Use these tips to capture incredible photographs of the wonderful cuttlefish.

Avoid disturbance

When scuba diving, be mindful that bubbles can disrupt cuttlefish, causing them to swim away.

Patience is key

Let the cuttlefish focus on their own activities, whether mating, fighting, or hunting. Once they’re immersed in the task, it’s safer to move in for those perfect shots.

How close can you get

If you pick the right moment, you can get as close as you like, and the cuttlefish are completely unperturbed by your presence, allowing you to fire away with your shots.

I have never noticed any change in behaviour from them while using strobes.

Positioning

This is key when framing your shot, and this may change depending on the height and penetration of sunlight.

Freediving vs. scuba

As mentioned, the bubbles from scuba diving can disturb the cuttlefish, as can our presence in general. So, even when freediving, you need to be patient before getting too close, as the males may perceive us as a potential threat due to our sheer size.

While the dive site is very shallow at less than five metres, on a good day of visibility it is quite easy to observe from the surface how the action is unfolding and when the right moment to dive down is.

The lack of bubbles, as discussed, is a big pro of freediving, but the cold water and cold air can affect your breath-holds, meaning you might dive down only to find the action halfway through before you need to resurface for another breath.

Scuba diving allows you to sit and wait for the right time, remaining in the water while the action is unfolding and able to react quicker when dynamics change, whether it be one group breaking out into a fight or a male pulling a female underneath a rock ledge to mate in peace.

Essential Camera Settings

Giant cuttlefish dives often occur in shallow waters, typically less than five metres deep, making it easier to use natural sunlight to illuminate your shots.

When the cuttlefish is fully extended, they can reach up to one metre in length; however, more often than not, they are smaller and not fully extended. A wide-angle lens is better to capture larger numbers and still show off the background.

Here are a few setup suggestions to get you started.

Fisheye Lens (for bright, sunny days)

Set your shutter speed around 1/200 to 1/250. With an aperture of f/14 and ISO 400, you can capture stunning sunbeams while keeping the cuttlefish well-lit. If the lighting changes due to cloud cover, quickly adjust your aperture to maintain optimal exposure.

16–35mm lens (for cloudy days)

On overcast days, when natural light is dimmer, switch to a 16–35mm lens for closer, more detailed shots. Drop the shutter speed to 1/60 to 1/100 (when using strobes) and keep the aperture around f/13 to preserve detail and depth of field.

By adjusting your settings and lens choice, you can capture the magnificent behaviour of these giant cuttlefish in all their vibrant glory.

Strobes or no strobes

On a sunny day, with the site being so shallow, you can get plenty of sunlight and easily take great images without strobes (particularly if you are freediving, as they could be quite cumbersome).

However, to get the most detailed shots and use the sunlight to frame the images, I would recommend strobes.

For strobe placement, I would keep mine wide at the ‘10 to 2’ position. For the fisheye lens, I would keep them a lot higher and wider, pointing more downward so you can still get close and illuminate the cuttlefish.

In conclusion

As an underwater photographer, the best animals to photograph and to dive with are those that have the biggest personalities and allow you the time to observe and document their behaviours.

For that reason, giant cuttlefish are my favourite animals to photograph, as they tick every box and are found in an environment that is so easily accessible you can dive with them many times.

Having grown up watching wildlife documentaries and thinking the scenes were far removed from anything I could ever see with my own eyes, Whyalla allows you to live out that dream.

How to Photograph Giant Cuttlefish in Whyalla, Australia

What to expect at the Whyalla dive site