Wool Bay is a small, old stone-and-timber jetty that punches far above its size because of one animal: the leafy seadragon. Local visitor information calls it possibly the best spot in South Australia to see leafies, and the SDFSA describes it as home to many of them. The jetty was built in the nineteenth century to ship wool and later lime from the kilns on the cliff above, and it now stands in only 1-5 m of water over a mosaic of seagrass, brown algae and sand.

The dive is gentle and shallow. The pylons carry a modest growth of sponges and ascidians with nudibranchs, small crabs and seahorses, but the real work is done off the jetty over the weed beds on either side. Leafy seadragons blend almost perfectly with the kelp and Cystophora, so the trick is to swim slowly a metre or so above the weed and look for the steady, drifting shape that does not sway with the surge.

Pairs are commonly seen, and in late spring and summer males may be carrying eggs. Weedy seadragons are occasionally found too, along with pipefish, cowfish, globefish, stingarees and small schools of trevally and tommy ruff. Pyjama squid and octopus appear on night dives.

Because there is almost no current and the bottom is so shallow, Wool Bay is an excellent site for newer divers, snorkellers and photographers who want long bottom times, and many divers use it as a relaxed second dive after Edithburgh or Port Giles on the same day. It is not a site for big-fish action or dramatic structure. The main downside is its sensitivity to the weather: with an easterly blowing, the fine silt lifts and visibility collapses.

On a still morning with westerly winds, though, it can offer clear water, easy entries and one of the best chances anywhere of meeting South Australia's marine emblem.

From Stansbury drive about 7 km south on the Yorke Highway (the coast road towards Edithburgh) and turn east at the Wool Bay sign; the road drops down past the lime kiln lookout to the small foreshore car park at the jetty. Park at the jetty head – the gear carry is short. Divers normally use the steps about halfway along the jetty, which give water deep enough to kit up at most tides; at low tide it is easier to wade in from the small beach beside the jetty.

From Adelaide allow 2.5 hours (about 210 km) via Ardrossan and Port Vincent. The nearest air fills are in Edithburgh (15 km south) or Stansbury.

This coast faces Gulf St Vincent, so onshore easterly, north-easterly and south-easterly winds ruin it: 15 knots from the east stirs the fine sediment and drops visibility to a metre or two, and a strong south-easterly adds chop and surge. Westerly and south-westerly winds blow offshore and give the flattest, clearest water, best after a day or two of settled weather. There is no ocean swell inside the gulf.

Tides are modest (1-2 m, with 'dodge' tides of little movement), but shallow jetties are easier around high water. Autumn is calmest; summer south-east sea breezes build in the afternoon, so dive mornings. Wool Bay is especially shallow, so even a moderate easterly makes it unpleasant; choose a day with light westerly winds and aim for the top half of the tide.

Enter at the middle steps and fin slowly out along the pylons to the end in 3-5 m, then leave the jetty and zig-zag across the weed and seagrass on either side scanning for leafy seadragons, which drift just above the weed. Return along the jetty's other side; the depth never exceeds 5 m so a long, slow search pattern is the norm.

No regular charter; visited independently and on Adelaide shop weekend trips (Diving Adelaide, The Dive Shack, Adelaide Scuba) as a second dive after Edithburgh, particularly by divers hunting leafy seadragons.