South West Rocks · Australia · Wreck
MV Fairwind
A 1950 motor lighter upright at 87 m, found only in 2009
Area photo: Richard Ling · CC BY-SA 2.0
An Australian motor lighter lost with all hands in a 1950 cyclone and not found until 2009, sitting upright in deep water off South West Rocks at 87 metres. It is a technical dive, difficult to reach and demanding extensive planning, and several dives here have been called off by an unpredictable three to four knot current.
Also known as Fairwind wreck, MSL 251.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows South West Rocks and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
This is a technical dive rather than a recreational one. The wreck sits upright at 87 metres in deep water off South West Rocks, difficult to reach and requiring extensive planning and preparation beforehand. The first structure to come out of the dark is high above the deck: the forward and aft king posts project 15 metres from the seabed.
The hull is mostly intact. The bow is undamaged, and so are the massive rudder and the twin props at the stern, which are the features most divers come to see. The rear bridge and superstructure have collapsed inward, and the collapse has opened up a jumble of artefacts inside, including cooking implements and a stack of batteries much like car batteries, a reminder that the ship ran on diesel engines.
Bottom time is short against the run time, and the ascent is where the dive is actually made or lost. The current is the variable that decides everything: it is unpredictable, runs at three to four knots when it is up, and has caused several dives here to be called off. Teams go with the conditions they get on the day rather than the ones they planned for.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MV Fairwind (MSL 251)
- Type
- 120 ft motor lighter, 250 tons
- Length
- 37 m (121 ft)
- Built
- 1946
- Sunk
- 1950
- Cause
- Sunk in a cyclone on 23 June 1950 with the loss of all 17 crew
- Lies
- Upright at 87 m, mostly intact, king posts projecting 15 m from the seabed
Fairwind, formerly the Motor Stores Lighter MSL 251, was launched in February 1946 and completed that September. In June 1950, on passage from Port Moresby to Sydney with fuel supplies, she disappeared off the mid-north coast of New South Wales during a cyclone. Her crew of 17, twelve of them Papuans, were never found, and all are officially recorded as lost. Her fate was not positively established until August 2009, when a team of amateur divers found the wreck in deep water off South West Rocks, closing a mystery that had stood for almost sixty years.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows South West Rocks: Grey nurse numbers peak Jun–Nov; the Eastern Australian Current brings the warmest, clearest water Jan–Apr.
Know before you go
- An unpredictable three to four knot current often washes the site and has caused several dives to be called off.
- The wreck has been fished for years and carries kevlar traces that are an entanglement hazard and are difficult to cut even with a sharp knife.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the MV Fairwind wreck?+
The wreck sits upright at 87 metres, which puts it well beyond recreational limits and makes it a technical dive requiring extensive planning and preparation.
When was the MV Fairwind found?+
In August 2009, when a team of amateur divers located her in deep water off South West Rocks. She had been missing since a cyclone sank her on 23 June 1950 with the loss of all 17 crew.
Sources
- MV Fairwind — Wikipedia
- Dive Sites | Fish Rock & South West Rocks — Fish Rock Dive Centre
More dive sites in South West Rocks
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Black coral on the gutter walls, then semi-trailer-sized boulders
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