Dive sites · 2026 guide
Australia's wreck diving mixes historic losses like the SS Yongala with purpose-scuttled navy ships prepared for divers. Scuttled ships are generally more forgiving, with access holes cut and hazards removed; historic wrecks demand more respect.
Most wrecks here sit beyond 18 metres, so check the certification level on each before you book.
1Townsville, Ayr & the SS Yongala, Queensland
A 100-metre passenger steamer lost in 1911, now carrying possibly the densest marine life in Australia.
The wreck is around 100 metres long and lies at depths reaching roughly 30 metres. Queensland tourism material treats the site as an advanced diving attraction.
Look for: Queensland Groper, Spotted Eagle Ray
Full SS Yongala guide →2Sunshine Coast, Queensland
A former guided missile destroyer scuttled off Mooloolaba and prepared specifically for divers.
Because the vessel was prepared specifically for diving, access points were cut and hazards removed, which makes the wreck considerably more forgiving than a historic loss.
Look for: schooling baitfish and trevally, wobbegongs, soft coral and sponge colonisation, lionfish, occasional turtles and rays
Full ex-HMAS Brisbane guide →3Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Victoria's signature artificial wreck — a former guided missile frigate at around 28 metres.
Visit Victoria places the wreck at approximately 28 metres. Access requires a licensed operator or use of the public mooring system.
Look for: temperate reef fish, sponges and soft corals colonising the structure, schooling baitfish, seals occasionally in the area
4Brisbane & Moreton Bay, Queensland
Fifteen deliberately scuttled vessels in shallow, sheltered water off Moreton Island.
The wrecks sit in only a few metres of water and have become a dense artificial reef, accessible to snorkellers as well as divers.
Look for: Green Turtle, Spotted Eagle Ray, Wobbegong
5Hobart, Tasmania
Sheltered channel diving near Hobart, with jetties, reefs and handfish habitat.
Sites include jetties, reef systems and wrecks, with the channel's cold, nutrient-rich water supporting dense temperate life.
Look for: Giant Kelp Forest, Seahorses & Pipefish, Spotted Handfish, Weedy Seadragon
Full D'Entrecasteaux Channel guide →6Magnetic Island, Queensland
Accessible fringing reef and the SS City of Adelaide wreck, a short ferry from Townsville.
The SS City of Adelaide, a former steamer beached on the island's northern side, provides an unusual shallow wreck that is accessible to newer divers and snorkellers alike.
Look for: hard coral, reef fish, turtles, rays, nudibranchs
Full Magnetic Island Reefs guide →7Geraldton & Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia
122 islands 60 km offshore, where coral grows alongside kelp and the Batavia was lost in 1629.
The Leeuwin Current carries warm water south along the coast, allowing coral to grow here alongside temperate kelp — an overlap that occurs in very few places worldwide.
Look for: Australian Sea Lion
8Gold Coast, Queensland
An 1887 iron barque wreck in shallow water off Main Beach, the Gold Coast's best-known dive.
The wreck has broken down considerably but the hull structure and ribs remain recognisable, and the shallow depth makes for long, relaxed dives.
Look for: Wobbegong
9Perth, Western Australia
Limestone reef systems, artificial reefs and accessible shore entries along the Perth coast.
Shore entries at Mettams Pool, Point Peron and elsewhere provide accessible diving, while boat access reaches the offshore reef lines and artificial reef structures.
Look for: western blue gropers, wobbegongs, rays, octopus, crayfish
Perth Scuba10Darwin, Northern Territory
Vessels lost in the 1942 bombing of Darwin and later — arguably Australia's densest wreck heritage.
Diving is governed entirely by tide. Current, access and visibility all change through the day, and sites are dived in specific windows that move daily.
Look for: soft coral on structures, schooling baitfish, rays, moray eels, tropical reef fish
11Central Coast, New South Wales
A 138-metre guided-missile frigate scuttled off Avoca Beach in 2011, prepared for divers with access holes cut along the hull.
She sits upright on sand in roughly 32 to 35 metres of water, with most of the interesting structure above 20 metres. Large access holes were cut into the hull at regular intervals, so the bridge, hangars and operations room can be reached along planned routes.
Look for: giant cuttlefish, eastern blue groper, kingfish, yellowtail and baitfish schools, octopus
12Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide's local wreck diving — the Glenelg dredge, barge and artificial reef structures.
The dredge and barge are the best known, and both have developed substantial marine growth and resident fish populations.
Look for: blue devils, schooling bullseyes, octopus, rays, sponge growth on structures
Adelaide ScubaSites are chosen from our dive-site database and ordered by how well documented they are: flagship status, the number of operators we have confirmed dive there, and the marine life recorded. Nobody pays to be listed.
No. Listings and order come from our research only. Businesses can ask us to correct their details, but not to change their position.
It is generated from the directory's latest research, checked in 2026. Conditions, operators and seasons change — confirm details with the operator before you book.
