Mooloolaba · Australia · Reef
Ship Rock
Reef shaped like a hull, in 23 to 32 m
Area photo: Tanya Dedyukhina · CC BY 3.0
A rock formation on Murphys Reef that looks so much like a sunken ship you can make out what appear to be stringers in the hull, though Scuba World says the operator has been assured it is simply a reef. It sits in 23 to 32 metres and needs Advanced or Deep certification. Hundreds of anemones with clownfish in them cover the rock, and nudibranchs are common.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Mooloolaba and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
This is the deep end of the Mooloolaba reef diving. Scuba World gives Ship Rock as 23 to 32 metres and asks for Advanced or Deep certification, which means a plan and a short bottom time rather than a wander. The formation is the whole dive: rock shaped closely enough like a hull that you can make out what look like stringers in it, though the operator's own note is that it is simply a reef.
Work the rock rather than the sand. There are hundreds of anemones on it with clownfish living in them, and nudibranchs are common enough that this stays a slow, close-in dive despite the depth. Large pelagics are found out around the sand at the base, so it is worth looking off the rock into the blue on the way round before you start the ascent.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Mooloolaba: Grey nurse sharks hold at Nurse Rock July–October, the months operators also rate clearest; summer is murkier and falls inside the November–April cyclone season.
Sources
- Mooloolaba Reef Diving — Scuba World
More dive sites in Mooloolaba
Reef
A 12 m ledge where rays stop to be cleaned
Sheltered ledge from 16 m up to 5 m, thick with nudibranchs
Wreck
A 133 m destroyer on sand at 28 m, dived outside only
Reef
Eighty metres of coral-covered boulders on open sand
Reef
Thousands of anemones, and shrimp 5 mm long
Reef
A 3 m hole dropping into a bowl of wobbegongs and groupers
Reef
Grey nurse sharks on the rock from July to October
Pinnacle
Two towers off the sand at 24 m, tops at 14 and 16 m
Similar dives elsewhere
An old communication cable tangled through the reef, 8-28 m
Pineapplefish under the same ledge for at least seven years
Moorings from an 8 m coral garden to a 30 m wall
A dozen resident potato cod, the largest around 30 kg