SS Yongala · Australia · Wreck

The Crow's Nest

Barracuda over the shallowest steel on the wreck

The shallow structure on top of the Yongala, where the wreck comes up to about 16 metres below the surface. The ship has kept its structural integrity after more than a century on the sand, and the top of the hull is where chevron barracuda cruise, at around 15 metres on the shallowest surviving steel.

Also known as Mast.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

19.3044° S, 147.6219° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

This is the top of the wreck rather than a separate site: the moorings put in during 2002 sit above a hull whose upper parts are about 16 metres below the surface, with the sea floor at roughly 30. You pull down the line into current that runs strong at the surface and at depth, and the first structure comes out of the green at the shallow end of the profile.

The ship is 109 metres long and has kept its structural integrity, so the run along the top is over recognisable steel rather than rubble. Penetration is prohibited under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, along with any interference with artefacts, which makes the shallow structure something to swim over and look down into rather than through.

Chevron barracuda are the fish to watch for here, cruising along the top of the wreck and often hanging between 5 and 10 metres where the safety stop is done, so the last part of the dive is rarely empty. Come back to the mooring line with gas in hand: the current makes an off-line ascent an unattractive way to finish.

The wreck

Vessel: SS Yongala
Type: Passenger steamship
Length: 109 m (358 ft)
Built: 1903
Sunk: 1911
Cause: Sank in a tropical cyclone off the Queensland coast
Lies: On her starboard side on sand, listing 60-70 degrees, bow on a bearing of 347 degrees

Marine life and season

Barracuda

Month-by-month season rating for The Crow's Nest
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Good	Good	Good

Season follows SS Yongala: August and September are the best months; from June to September the water cools to 22–25 °C.

Know before you go

Current runs strong at the surface and at depth; go down and come back up on the mooring line and work the sheltered flank of the hull.
The crossing is exposed and the swell can be heavy enough to cause seasickness; take precautions ashore rather than at the mooring.
Entering the hull is prohibited under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018, as is touching artefacts; the whole dive stays outside the plating.