FAQ

Port Lincoln is situated on the beautiful Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

It is very easily accessed from Adelaide by QANTAS Link and Regional Express with a short 40 minute flight.

Adelaide International Airport is Australia’s fastest growing airport. It is serviced directly from many international destinations and all major Australian cities.

For those with a little more time, Premier Stateliner offer a return bus service from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.

For those driving, it is an approx. 7 hour drive from Adelaide to Port Lincoln. Between the months of May to August, those driving can stop off at Whyalla to dive and witness the worlds largest spawning of mating cuttlefish. Snorkelling and diving gear is available to hire from Whyalla Dive Services.

To attract sharks we use a natural tuna fish mix. Although the Neptune Islands are a natural feeding ground for great white sharks, we have found that a form of shark attractant is still required. Over our 50 year history, we have tried many things and the natural tuna scent is what gives us the best results. All interaction with the sharks is carried out by our trained crew and a strict code of conduct is adhered to.

The Neptune Islands Marine Reserve houses Australia’s largest fur seal colony. Several thousand New Zealand fur seals along with a small number of Australian sea lions and many other bird and reptile species call the islands home. And it is the seals that brings the great white sharks to the islands. The sharks do not live at the islands, their presence can be for a few hours to a few weeks at a time. Their appearance is also seasonal and with our research and shark identification we know that the same sharks return to the islands at the same time of year from their vast migrations around Australia. In summer, the seal pups are born and the bull seals arrive to breed. This is the only time of year we see the bull seals, as after breeding they leave the islands for their solo lives. Left behind are the pregnant mums with their newly born seal pups. It is throughout the winter months the seal pups learn to swim in the sheltered shallows around the islands. We often only see specific sharks in summer or winter, very seldom both.

The Neptune islands are located offshore Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula in South Australia at the entrance of two great gulfs, right in the middle of the great shark migration highway that extends around the bottom of the Australian continent.

The Neptune Islands themselves are home to large breeding colonies of thousands of long nose fur seals which along with being in good proximity to other abundant marine food sources allows this special location to be a potential year-round destination for great white sharks to call into.

We understand it’s unreasonable to expect  the sharks to always appear just as soon as we drop anchor (though this does sometimes happen) and we also understand there is different and variable shark activity patterns along with variable weather conditions throughout the year.

To better ensure reliable viewing we offer different itineraries for different seasons of the year. Our famous multi-day (overnight) tours utilise both submersible ocean floor along with  surface cage dives and working multiple locations around the Neptune Islands each tour gives advantages for very high success in experiencing great white sharks.

Our liveaboard itineraries enjoy sunrises, sunsets, and entire days on location without tiring daily transfers, onboard the industry’s largest vessel the MV. Rodney Fox. We carry only a maximum of up to 18 guests, within our 9 accommodation cabins. This allows plenty of un-rushed and un-crowded cage time for everyone each day and Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions has enjoyed the industry’s highest year-round success rates on a world scale.

No two years have the same shark activity pattern and some months in some years are completely different to that experienced in other years.  Yet there are certain seasonal times in most years that we do still enjoy a long-term success rate above 95% of seeing productive great white sharks, and a few other months which are a lot mor “Hit-or-Miss”.

Please see the ‘Best Time of Year’ section below for more details.

Absolutely! There is no diving experience required for surface cage diving or of course, viewing the sharks topside from the boat. We have qualified dive professionals onboard who look after all our new surface cage diving guests. Our dive crew will ensure you are briefed and comfortable before getting in the cage. Plus, with our small guest numbers, there is no pre-determined time that you must get in the cage. Guests can relax, watch the sharks from the surface and then when YOU are ready, we’ll get you in the water. Surface cage time is unlimited and we look for all guests on-board to get fair and equal shark time. Our pricing also reflects your activities on-board, so you can join us as at a cheaper rate than the ‘ocean floor diver’ price.

Have a chat with the Rodney Fox office team if you have anymore questions.

You are very welcome to bring your own diving equipment but all diving needs for diving with the great whites can be hired onboard. This can be ordered at the time of booking.

For a Great White Night Expedition, this is your what to bring checklist:
□ Warm clothing – Fox Expedition clothing available for purchase on board
□ Comfortable flat shoes
□ Dive certification card (divers must show qualification to participate in the ocean floor cage dive)
□ Dive gear – can be hired onboard, see website for more info
□ BCD if wanting to dive/not snorkel with Australian Sea lions
□ Camera
□ Sunglasses – polarized recommended
□ Batteries – for cameras
□ Sunscreen and hats
□ Personal medical and toiletries
□ Seasickness tablets

What you do not need to bring:
□ Towels for personal use and diving
□ Please do not bring any alcoholic beverages onboard as we have a ‘Ship’s Bar Only’ policy.
□ Food/snacks – Snacks are provided complimentary
□ SCUBA tanks, fins or weight belts

We supply wetsuit boots and fins,

When hiring a wetsuit, a hood comes with it too.

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions is required by the South Australian Government to hold a licence to operate at the Neptune Islands and to pay licence fees. These licence fees go towards research and ongoing management of white shark cage diving, including the monitoring of interactions of white sharks and tourism at the Neptune Islands. You can read more about the management of our industry on the Department of Environment’s website here.

We offer complimentary secured parking in our lockable storage compound. The address is 26 Mallee Crescent Port Lincoln. Our parking is secure yet not insured and is taken at at the owners risk. Please indicate your request to use this facility on our booking form along with an Australian contact number and our crew will organise to meet and organise a lockup time prior to boarding.

If you are staying at a hotel before or after the expedition you also may be able to leave your car them. There are a couple of other car storage facilities in Port Lincoln (always check pick-up / drop-off and opening details)

Tipping is not expected in Australian hospitality. Then it is only reserved for those that provide exceptional personal service. As an indicator, for excellent restaurant service, tips of up to 10% are common and 5% in taxis . You should expect exceptional service from the Rodney Fox crew, day and night. At the end of the expedition whilst paying for any onboard expenses, such as bar tab or merchandise, a ‘tip jar’ is made available if you consider giving a cash tip. Cash is preferred however you can add a tip to your credit card. Tips are welcome and distributed evenly amongst crew.

Onboard WIFI is available on most days during our tours, however there is not always reliable phone reception available. In an emergency contact can be made

With our office in Australia on telephone: +61 8 87631788
Or email: expeditions@rodneyfox.com.au
Or our onboard Satellite phone is checked intermittently and accepts short text messages. Sat Phone +61 (0)488 803 725
Make sure the message includes your name and date of travel and we will attempt relay the message to the boat.

We seldom have children onboard, however we do welcome families with children 8 years or older.
The minimum age for Surface cage diving is 8 years old and for SCUBA diving (10-12 year old Jr. Open Water certified divers – are considered, on application)
Parents or guardians traveling with children are responsible for child minding, and children less than 12 years of age cannot be left alone.

You should bring your own personal mask and snorkel, or purchase onboard, personal toiletries, personal medication, swimming costume, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses (polarised to spot sharks), foot wear (sandals or sneakers), T-shirts, shorts, sweater and long pants and sweaters for the evening and island excursions are a good idea. Also your wildest “loud” shirt/dress for Party evening.

All linen and towels are provided. We have a washing machine and dryer onboard to wash clothes and there are t-shirts, hoodies, and caps available to purchase onboard.

Insurance should be taken to cover: weather problems; expedition cancellations; airline difficulties; medical problems and lost or damaged luggage. Unforeseen weather or machinery problems may cause us to cancel or change an itinerary. No refund is offered for time lost due to the medical evacuation of a guest or reduction of dives due to weather conditions. No compensation is offered to guests to change flights or holiday plans. DiveAssure https://diveassure.com offers cover for both Australian residents & non-residents traveling to Australia.

We provide 24hr complimentary tea, coffee and water. A selection of beverages is served with every meal. Three chef prepared meals and in-between meal snacks are provided each day with fruit and biscuits always available. Please advise in advance if you have special dietary requirements.

Snacks: You are welcome to bring your own additional snack food onboard however there is no guest access to the Galley. Food brought onboard must be non-perishable and not require refrigeration or heating / cooking.
Beverages: Additional soft drinks, wine, beer, mixed drinks are available for purchase on board. Please do not bring any alcohol onboard as we have a ‘Ship’s Bar Only’ policy.

This often-asked question doesn’t have the same answer for everyone! Please consider all the information put together here by Andrew Fox after an unparalleled 44 years of diving experience with great white sharks.

And with a history spanning 60 years of cage-diving, Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions has experienced ever-changing seasonal shark activity patterns at every geographical location that we have ever historically operated. Presently we work exclusively within the Neptune Islands Marine Park including both the North and South Island groups and we will no doubt also see ongoing and unpredictable changes in shark activity patterns here too.

There are positive aspects to be said about every time of the year and experiencing all the various seasonal moods at the Neptune islands can be a very rewarding pursuit. The so-called “best times” should be considered from a combination of factors including both short and long-term trends concerning shark reliability, shark numbers, shark size, potential productive weather, water temperature, and water visibility.  But again, it’s important to explain that we do experience unpredictable variations and even complete exceptions to the rule with most of these factors and no two years are ever the same.

Over our entire history at the Neptune Islands, our early and Mid-summer period (December and January)  and our Late autumn and early winter period ( Mid-April, May and June) has probably delivered the highest reliability of shark sightings where tour success does approach 100% in most years.

However, the highest recorded numbers of sharks/day in recent years have often also peaked during our spring months of September and October and in recent years February has also produced great shark numbers in also typically the best weather of the year.  October is also one of the few most reliable months of the ear for sightings and the typically clear water is great for U/W Photography.

March typically also has great weather, however just like November can be hit or miss and unreliable for reliable shark viewing. In recent years late July and August typically produce  the least sharks seen during the year often also along with poor and cold weather.

The very largest sharks ever seen are mature female sharks which can measure over 5m long. These super-giants are more likely to be experienced in late autumn and winter. Large adult male sharks measuring over 4m long arrive somewhat randomly throughout the year at the Neptune’s, but perhaps more-so in early spring. These old boys are consistently more “photogenic” than the typically more cautious giant females.

The brightest and sunniest weather at the Neptune Islands is usually experienced between the months of October and April.

The warmest water temperatures for the Neptune Islands are found between December and May when water temperatures rise to 18-19 C. Offshore currents flowing past the Neptune islands maintain water temperatures above 15C throughout most of the year with the lowest temperatures in early Spring.

Although striking clear water visibility of up to 30m or more can be found throughout much of the year at the offshore Neptune islands, the most crystal-clear waters are often found during early Spring albeit when the water is the coolest.

Nearly all itineraries taken between September and May and longer itineraries throughout the winter usually present favourable conditions for swimming/diving with Australian sea lions. This weather dependant activity happens at locations away from the Neptune Islands and is typically scheduled for either the first morning or last afternoon of each tour.

The October to April time frame with the typically lower swell is also conducive to landing more shore excursions either on remote mainland beaches or on islands including the Neptune’s during the tour. In more challenging weather conditions, we explore the seal colonies and coastlines by tender boat.

In addition to experiencing great white sharks, The September to May timeframe has higher chances of seeing mako sharks and bronze whaler sharks. Several other bottom shark and ray species are typically seen on our Ocean Floor Cage dives throughout the year.

Early May through to August is a time that coincides with the world’s largest cuttlefish spawning phenomenon near Whyalla on the Eyre peninsula. This incredible location is a few hours’ drive by road from Port Lincoln and on some special extended itineraries, we specifically target this event with a group road trip or on special longer trips by Liveaboard. Peak diving conditions for this species is earlier extending from early May to Mid-July when the animals are still fresh and vibrant, and the water temperature has not bottomed out.

Most tour dates have a duration of  at least 3 nights to allow us to tick off all the desired species and activities in each tour itinerary and to allow for the potential for any unpredictable dips in either shark activity or poor weather.

The longer liveaboard tours give us wonderful flexibility in avoiding the need for frustrating cancellations that might compromise shorter itineraries. The extra time also allows us to partake in Island exploration or target other marine species such as  Australian sea lions.

The generally fairer weather and longer daylight hours over the summer months allow us to confidently run some shorter itineraries and still achieve the high level of satisfaction Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions is world-renowned for. Shorter 2-Night itineraries are possible options from December to March, and various longer tours of up to 9 nights long are available through the year to target various seasonal species.

Our expedition vessel the 32m MV. Rodney Fox is a very large and stable, and comfortable sea boat built to handle the open ocean and travel safely between the sheltered anchorages of the Neptune Islands and the mainland. It is these 2-hour crossings on open seas that can be most challenging to people particularly sensitive to seasickness.

Although most sensitive people recover quickly once we get to our sheltered anchorages, we suggest that particularly sensitive people looking to choose a date between the generally fairer seas of October to April, which generally have the most favourable traveling weather of the year out to the Neptune Islands.

Another option (if you have the liberty and flexibility) is to look at long-range weather forecasts up to a week or more ahead of any tour date availability and book any positions available at short notice. A problem with this option is that many dates do tend to book out months in advance.

Regardless of the time of the year, in the unfortunate event of no (or next to no) actual underwater shark sightings on a shark-diving-focused tour itinerary, we will offer that those people who missed out can return to us with a credit of 50% of what they paid on that diving tour. On an extended multispecies tour itinerary, 50% of the shark diving component paid on that tour is credited toward any return adventure. This credit amount is calculated exclusive of marine park fees, hire gear, and credit card/international bank transfer fees.

Private Group Charter Deposits are payable at the time of booking all deposits are non-refundable for change of mind or cancellations by you. If you have purchased Travel Insurance this may cover cancellation fees subject to policy terms and conditions.