Most recreational divers can only dream about diving some of the world’s best shipwrecks. Many of the most talked about wrecks are in water too deep for many of us to even think about diving in! Not so with the incredible wrecks located around Brisbane. These fantastic ships are all well within recreational limits, are home to a variety of marine life, and offer world-class diving.
The Tangalooma Wrecks
Imagine drifting over fifteen different shipwrecks, all spread across a distance of 450 meters, in just 12 meters of water, maximum. This is what you’ll experience at the Tangalooma wrecks – a conglomeration of boats, some with very old steam engines still intact, and some just a bit newer. These boats were spread across the bottom here to make a breakwall and to create a calm harbor for Moreton Island.
Home to tropical fish, shoals of gamefish, and sheltering lionfish and stonefish, these wrecks are coated in beautiful soft coral and sponges, and are teeming with all kinds of nudibranchs and other tiny creatures. Best of all, visibility can sometimes be as good as fifty meters – this is truly a wonderful dive!
The Curtin Wrecks
More than twenty ships have been sunk here since 1968, when the Underwater Research Group of Queensland first decided to form an artificial Reef. Today, Curtin Reef consists of barges and whale chasers, tugboats and barges, old cars, and even a tram. Although visibility here is poor, maximum depth is just twenty meters, and the amount and variety of life is mind-boggling. Normally explored as a drift dive, the Curtin Wrecks are home to cobias and batfish, white trevally and parrotfish, and wobbegong sharks, plus turtles and eagle rays. Don’t be surprised if a massive Queensland grouper stares up at you from the cab of an old car – and be sure to get a photo! You’ll need at least a PADI Advanced Open Water certification or the equivalent to make this dive.
HMAS Brisbane
Often referred to as the EX-HMAS Brisbane, this is Queensland’s largest wreck, and it is also a dedicated Conservation park. Once an Australian Navy Warship, the HMAS Brisbane was sent to the sandy bottom on July 31st, 2005, to perform one final act of service, as an artificial reef. Today, this magnificent, 133 meter ship is covered with hard and soft coral. Even more exciting, are the more than two hundred species of fish that have been spotted swimming about the wreck!
Even novice divers can enjoy a trip to the outside of HMAS Brisbane, while those with more experience can easily penetrate the wreck, which has been well-prepared for divers, with large holes that have been strategically cut all along its length to allow for safe and simple exploration. Whether you enter via the cutouts, or if you decide to swim down through the stacks and enter the boiler room and engine room, is completely up to you! It is no surprise that the Brisbane has been named the Sunshine Coast’s top dive site.
Trips to all these wrecks take place every day, and you’ll be glad to know that Brisbane is home to some of the world’s best dive operators. Booking a trip is simple, and once you arrive, you’re certain to have the time of your life. So, feed your desire for adventure – dive Brisbane’s best wrecks!