AIM: On 30 April 1982 the contractor firm Geophysical Service,Inc. applied to SADME for permission to conduct a short, speculative reconnaissance seismic survey across the Great Australian Bight region, commencing in early May. The proposed coverage would tie existing well locations with a series of east-west headed, long single dip lines arranged in a zig-zag format, that would also connect to the area of vacant offshore acreage in the eastern Duntroon Basin, then being offered via gazettal to industry for the grant of petroleum exploration rights over five years. The short notice of intent from GSI arose due to a sudden transfer of long-term work contracts for that company's survey vessel M/V Lady Vilma between locations in the offshore Gippsland area of Victoria, and the North-West Shelf area of Western Australia, necessitating an unforeseen transit of said vessel across the SA-WA Bight region. On 4 May 1992 the SA offshore Designated Authority gave his consent to the extra-ordinary conduct of the proposed survey, under the provisions of a scientific investigation permit issued to GSI for the purpose of regional geophysical evaluation of the prescribed area. METHODS: Survey dates: 8 - 22/5/82. Energy source: 2775 cu. in. tuned airgun array. CDP coverage: 4800%. Recording mode: 96 channel digital - Texas Instruments DFS V recorder. SP interval: 33.3 metres; group interval: 33.3 metres. 10 regional seismic reflection lines totalling 942.25 line km were acquired in SA waters by Party 6925 using the M/V Lady Vilma, and the resulting digital data retained proprietary to GSI for eighteen months, for prospective purchase by interested parties. Navigation control for the survey was provided by GSI's CMS II Geonav satellite tracking system. Concurrent with the seismic recording, marine gravity and magnetic data were also acquired and stored on magnetic tape with the navigation and shotpoint data. RESULTS: Although GSI had anticipated a deal of company interest in doing exclusive processing of their speculative seismic data, particularly by BP Petroleum Development Pty Ltd and Hematite Petroleum Pty Ltd (then holders of Bight EPP 16) and by the Stirling Petroleum NL et al. consortium (then holders of Bight EPP 17), it was unexpectedly not forthcoming: indeed, both of these exploration permits were surrendered within a year of the survey's completion. When Getty Oil Development Ltd et al. were granted EPP 21 over the 1982 gazetted vacant area west of Kangaroo Island, they too selected very little of the GSI survey data (only part of one line, i.e. EPP 21-3, SPs 305-1385) to test process as a way of evaluating recording and processing parameters to use for an intended 1983 seismic programme covering EPP 21. It remained for the SA State Government to attempt to process the bulk of the GSI seismic data some seven years later, as part of the Commonwealth/industry - funded APIRA Research Project P.298. The work was put out to tender and successfully bid for by Halliburton Geophysical Services Inc. in late 1988. The seismic data from 12 lines totalling 778.133 line km was then processed in Adelaide between January and July 1989. A detailed critique of the processing problems and rationale, and the subsequent geophysical and geological interpretation comment on the processed sections, can be found in the final report of the above-mentioned APIRA project (see Env 6978).