Wreck Dives

© Mary Malloy & Alan Beckhurst

Does wreck diving stir your sense of adventure?

Victoria, Australia has a rich marintine history. This has resulted in many ships coming to grief in Victoria waters. Plus, there is an extensive Ships' Graveyard in Bass Strait, not far from the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and the Port of Melbourne.

The Ships' Graveyard is located 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) east of Torquay’s Fisherman’s Beach through to Point Lonsdale. There are 38 known wrecks to choose from. They consist of tugs, dredges, barges, lighters, coastal freighter, World War One submarines, a paddle steamer plus a patrol boat. Many of these vessels were stripped down and scuttled by an explosive charge or an opened valve cock, and many remain fairly intact to this day.

These vessels were decommissioned from the early 1900’s through to 1999 and range in depth from 30 metres (98 feet) to 82 metres (269 feet). Penetration can be had on some wrecks, and there is little tidal current or shipping to be concerned with so wrecks can be dived at any time of the day. The main constraints are wind strength and the size of the swell.

SS Coogee

Steam Ship | Max Depth: 35 metres (115 feet)

© Mary Malloy & Alan Beckhurst

A steamship used to transpost cargo and passengers the SS Coogee lies in 33 metres (108 feet) of water approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) offshore between Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads.

The vessel lies with its bow pointed towards shore (facing north) on a flat limestone and sand seabed. The now rests on the sand at 33 metres (108 feet) and the stern is at 35 metres (115 feet) depth. The bow and stern are the most complete structures of the wreck as most of the midships section is flattened or missing — most likely due to the use of explosives to scuttle the ship.

At the bow, divers can see some of the original ship railings. At the staern, the rudder and rudder quadrant (used to steer the rudder) are still in position. In this area divers will also be able to see the remains of the two decks.

The SS Coogee's engine was removed prior to the steamship being scuttled, however the engine bed and intact bowlers can be seen amidships. Hatches can be seen in the middle of the ship on the centre line.

The overall length of the wreck is approximately 67 metres (220 feet).

Latitude: 38° 19′ 29.28″ S   (-38.3248° S / 38° 19.488′ S)
Longitude: 144° 34′ 13.08″ E   (144.5703° E / 144° 34.218′ E)

SS Courier

Steam Ship | Max Depth: 42 metres (138 feet)

© Mary Malloy & Alan Beckhurst

The 728 tonne (802 short tons) steel steamer SS Courier was launched in 1887 and finally scuttled in 1928 north-east of the Ships' Graveyard. She now lies in 42 metres (138 feet) of water, and is an accessible dive to deep-trained recreational divers.

As with many of the wrecks in the Ships' Graveyard, the hull has mostly collapsed. The bow and stern sections are lying over to starboard and are the best preserved parts of the hull. The foredeck still retains a considerable amount of planking, a few deck fittings and some railing on the starboard side. This deck area is quite large and is an impressive sight, standing approximately seven metres off the bottom.

Immediately behind this, the hull has totally collapsed, leaving the main deck hatch coaming sitting on the bottom. Behind this are the two boilers sitting in line. On days with good visibility the dark shape of the stern can just be seen in the distance, although to see this close up requires a separate dive. The stem is also an impressive sight, but it is less structurally intact than the bow. The shape of the vessel's counter stern is still recognisable, and just forward of this, there is the remains of some superstructure.

Latitude: 38° 19′ 42.48″ S   (-38.328467° S / 38° 19.708′ S)
Longitude: 144° 34′ 54.84″ E   (144.5819° E / 144° 34.914′ E)