Can you catch squid at Point Lowly?

No, and not at any time of year. A permanent cephalopod exclusion zone covers the False Bay and Point Lowly spawning area — its boundary line is anchored on the Point Lowly lighthouse itself — and inside it squid, cuttlefish and octopus may not be targeted or taken. That zone is False Bay, north and west of the line, so octopus stays legal on the ledges east and south of the lighthouse. Squid is shut across the whole headland regardless, under the Spencer Gulf southern calamari closure that began on 1 May 2026. Line fishing for finfish is legal inside the exclusion zone as well — it is a cephalopod closure, not a general one.

Are the giant cuttlefish still at Point Lowly?

Far fewer of them. PIRSA's 2026 count found 1,811 giant Australian cuttlefish, the lowest on record for a survey series that has ranged from 13,500 in 2013 to 247,000 in 2020, and the collapse is attributed to the algal bloom. The aggregation normally runs May to August, this is the only known place in the world where the species breeds in large numbers, and there are calls for an endangered listing while a tracking project runs to 2028. Do not plan a trip around the spectacle this winter.

Can you catch kingfish from the shore at Point Lowly?

Yes, and it is one of the very few genuine land-based kingfish chances in South Australia. The method is a floated bait — a live fish or a pilchard — fished off the rock ledges, with the run peaking roughly June to October. Minimum size is 60 cm and the bag is 1 per person, 3 per boat.

Where is the sanctuary zone at Point Lowly?

The Cuttlefish Coast Sanctuary Zone sits on the western shore of the peninsula facing False Bay, with its north-west corner at 137°42.792'E and its eastern edge along the 137°44.799'E meridian, about 3.6 km west of the lighthouse. No fishing of any kind is allowed inside it. The lighthouse and Fitzgerald Bay are both outside it in General Managed Use water where line fishing is legal.

Where do you camp at Point Lowly?

Free bush camping runs the length of Fitzgerald Bay, with sites on the water's edge and others back in the scrub, and Point Lowly itself charges $20 a night for a formal campground with change rooms, showers and toilets, booked in advance online through BookEasy since 1 December 2025 across 19 numbered sites in five areas. The road out from Whyalla is sealed and most sites suit a 2WD with some clearance, though the connecting track gets slippery after rain.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Point Lowly (Whyalla)

Sat 17 Oct 2026 · Australia/Adelaide

Forecast updated Sat 17 Oct, 10:36pm ACDT

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17 Oct

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Today Tomorrow Sat 24 Oct

📍 Point Lowly (Whyalla)

first quarter · 32%

Weather: Sunny Wind: S 172° · 6 km/h Swell: flat Water: 19.4 °C Pressure: 1020.8 hPa ↓ falling Faces several ways: wind direction isn't scored here

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 7:30 pm

Solunar Major window

Time of day Dusk

Tide Moving

Wind S 12 km/h

Moon first quarter all day

Water temp 19.4 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 6:11 am Last light 7:57 pm

Low 2:56 am High 9:18 am Low 4:14 pm High 9:49 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

6:00 pm → 10:30 pm

4h 30m

Good

5:30 am → 7:30 am

Good

4:30 pm → 5:00 pm

30m

First light

6:11 am

Last light

7:57 pm

Sunrise

6:36 am

Sunset

7:32 pm

Moonrise

10:45 am

Moonset

12:59 am

Low tide

2:56 am

High tide

9:18 am

Low tide

4:14 pm

High tide

9:49 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

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17°

↗︎

65°

6 km/h

1am

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17°

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51°

3 km/h

2am

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17°

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56°

1 km/h

3am

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16°

↙︎

225°

1 km/h

4am

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15°

↘︎

121°

1 km/h

5am

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15°

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106°

1 km/h

6am

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15°

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90°

1 km/h

7am

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16°

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297°

0 km/h

8am

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18°

↙︎

236°

1 km/h

9am

☀️

20°

↓︎

180°

1 km/h

10am

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22°

↘︎

146°

3 km/h

11am

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23°

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142°

5 km/h

12pm

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24°

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155°

7 km/h

1pm

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25°

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161°

9 km/h

2pm

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25°

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146°

9 km/h

3pm

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26°

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128°

8 km/h

4pm

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26°

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104°

6 km/h

5pm

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25°

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175°

4 km/h

6pm

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22°

↓︎

178°

17 km/h

7pm

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21°

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192°

12 km/h

8pm

☀️

21°

↓︎

159°

14 km/h

9pm

☀️

20°

↘︎

146°

13 km/h

10pm

☀️

19°

↘︎

140°

5 km/h

11pm

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19°

↓︎

172°

6 km/h

Hourly Swell

Steady ~0.0 m S

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

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Calm

chop

8pm

Calm

9pm

Calm

10pm

Calm

11pm

Calm

Water Temp (°C)

↗ warming — up 0.5° over the last 3 days

Wed

14 Oct

19.2°

Thu

15 Oct

19.2°

Fri

16 Oct

19.2°

Sat

17 Oct

19.7°

Sun

18 Oct

19.9°

Mon

19 Oct

20.2°

Tue

20 Oct

20.1°

Wed

21 Oct

20.2°

Thu

22 Oct

20.8°

Fri

23 Oct

20.7°

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 6 km/h S (172°).

Wind map data: ECMWF HRES (operational), updated every 6 hours. Not for navigation.

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

6:00 pm → 10:30 pm

4h 30m

Good

5:30 am → 7:30 am

Good

4:30 pm → 5:00 pm

30m

First light

6:11 am

Last light

7:57 pm

Sunrise

6:36 am

Sunset

7:32 pm

Moonrise

10:45 am

Moonset

12:59 am

Low tide

2:56 am

High tide

9:18 am

Low tide

4:14 pm

High tide

9:49 pm

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