Jervis Bay · Australia · Wreck
TSS Wandra
A 1915 timber steamer in 26-28 m off the Drum and Drumsticks
Area photo: Dave Naithani · CC BY-SA 3.0
A wooden twin-screw steamer of 36.73 m that went down in December 1915 carrying timber from Moruya Heads to Sydney, the Wandra lies about 457 m off the Drum and Drumsticks rocks (500 yards) in 26 to 28 m of water. She is broken up rather than intact, and operators ask for Advanced Open Water before they run the dive.
Also known as SS Wandra, The Wanderer.
Where it is and how deep
35.0453° S, 150.8392° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Wandra lies about 457 m off the Drum and Drumsticks (500 yards), the rocks her crew were trying to anchor beside when she went down, so the dive begins with the boat run out to that group north of the bay entrance. Published depths differ a little: an operator's site guide puts the wreck in 26 m, PADI's Jervis Bay guides give 28 m. Either way most of the dive sits below 25 m, so the profile is worth settling on the boat rather than on the descent line.
She was a wooden twin-screw steamer, 120.5 ft or 36.73 m, built at Coopernook in New South Wales in 1907 and lost with a cargo of timber, and the wreck is described as broken up rather than a standing hull. Blue dragon nudibranchs are among the animals that have taken to her, so a torch and a slow pass along the remains returns more than a quick lap of the site. The depth caps the dive well before anything else does, and there is no shallow section here to spend the rest of the gas on.
The wreck
- Vessel
- TSS Wandra
- Type
- Wooden twin-screw steamer
- Length
- 36.73 m (121 ft)
- Built
- 1907
- Sunk
- 1915
- Cause
- Took on water in heavy seas and sank while the crew tried to anchor near the Drum and Drumsticks
- Lies
- Broken up about 457 m off the Drum and Drumsticks rocks (500 yards), north of the bay entrance
The Wandra was built in 1907 at Coopernook, New South Wales, by Denis Sullivan, and was working the coastal timber trade at the end of her life. On 15 December 1915, carrying timber from Moruya Heads to Sydney, she took on water in heavy seas roughly five miles north of the Jervis Bay lighthouse. The crew dropped anchor near the Drum and Drumsticks rocks, but the vessel sank straight away. Everyone aboard got off safely and made their way to the lighthouse.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Jervis Bay: Apr–Jul is clearest as summer runoff clears; seals are present through winter and grey nurse numbers peak in the cooler months.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Wandra wreck?+
Sources give 26 m and 28 m, so plan for the high twenties. That puts the whole dive below 25 m, with no shallow part of the site to extend the profile on.
What certification do I need for the Wandra?+
PADI Advanced Open Water. Operators running the wreck require it, which matches a dive that sits at 26-28 m from the moment you leave the line.
Sources
- TSS Wandra — Wikipedia
- 5 Reasons You Should Go Diving in Jervis Bay, Australia — PADI Blog
- Diving in Jervis Bay, Australia — PADI Blog
- Jervis Bay Dive Site Locations (2019 archive) — Deep 6 Diving Jervis Bay (Wayback Machine)
More dive sites in Jervis Bay
Reef
Juvenile fish over sand and rock groups, from 5 m to about 20 m
Reef
A boat-only deep dive to about 30 m on the Beecroft Peninsula
Multi-level sponge reef, 10-30 m, with the Wandra wreck alongside
Reef
Kelp gardens and rock gutters, no deeper than about 13 m
Reef
A self-guided shore dive over kelp and seagrass in 8-12 m
Boulder swim-throughs under a 100 m cliff, from 6 m to 35 m
Reef
Winter seals over boulder ground, with the bottom at 25-30 m
Cave & cavern
A 60 m slot in the cliff, entered at 16-18 m and naturally lit
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A WWI submarine at 27 m, silt-free inside on the right day