Andy Burnell bringing underwater images of South Australia's 'incredible coastline' through social media

Andy Burnell (inset), armed with his Go-Pro camera, brought underwater images of South Australia's "incredible coastline" to his Facebook page. In his work with South Australia government environment and water department, Burnell led the search for new parcels of land to incorporate into the national parks system.
images couresy courtesy Andy Burnell and Crab.e.cam Facebook

Andy Burnell in 2024 was bringing the underwater wonders along South Australian coast to thousands of people while progressing the state’s natural environment on land as well.

Burnell, the team leader of park strategy and establishment with the South Australia government environment and water department from 2023, had built of following of more than 25,000 prople across South Australia, Australia and overseas with underwater photography for his Crab.e.cam Facebook page.

 Burnell developed his love of South Australian waters as a boy living Adelaide’s western beachside suburb of Tennyson. He extended that love professionally, working as a dive guide on the Great Barrier Reef before moving with his American wife Liz to Hawaii where he worked for the national marine fisheries service.

In his work for the South Australia government environment and water, Burnell led the search for new parcels of land to incorporate into the national parks system. This took him to places such as the Murray Mouth, Kangaroo Island and to World’s End Gorge, near Burra in the mid north, that became a national park  in a land transfer deal between the Government and renewable energy company Neoen Australia. “It's a big open gorge with standing water through it. In that environment, standing water is a rarity. So, yeah, it's quite unusual and unique,” Burnell told ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corpration) News in Adelaide. It was an ABC story on his Facebook images of underwater images from waters off the South Australia coast that set off his big Facebook following.

With his G0-Pro camera, Burnell explored the coast in his kayak or diving. His image of crabs and squid fighting over a pilchard grabbed early attention but has since expanded into a site featuring the range from huge sharks and tiny seahorses. Burnell sees Crab.e.cam as a great way to share South Australia’s “incredible coastline” that he says is “just perennially undervalued” even in its home state.

Burnell recommended the how and where for exploring South Australia’s ocean front: “iIt’s very important, especially if you’re taking children snorkelling, that the first experience is a good one. Look at the weather carefully and, if it’s not a great day, then go and do something else. The best time is late summer and into autumn”.

For the best places: “Port Noarlunga Reef is fantastic; that’s a no brainer. Other spots I’d recommend would be Second Valley, I’d throw in Edithburg as well as that gives you the opportunity to go if the winds are blowing from the opposite direction. There are so many options.”