Destinations
Loading...The SS Yongala is one of the best dive sites in the world and in Australia. It is actually considered by many people as THE best wreck dive in the world! It is located closest to Townsville in Queensland.
The Yongala Shipwreck is a 110m former steel passenger and freight steamer. It sank in 1911 during a tropical cyclone with its 124 passengers. The Shipwreck was found only in 1958 and is now a main tourist attraction in Australia.
Dive site
The SS Yongala wreck lies on a 33 meter deep sandy bottom with the top of the wreck at around 15 meters deep. The visibility is not so good and ranges from 10 to 15 meters depending on the tide. There is often a strong current and this dive site is reserved for experienced divers only. It has even happened in the past that after arriving at the location, the conditions are too dangerous, which forbids any divers.
Even after 100 years in the water the Yongala is still in very good condition and you can still see the masts or even the toilets! The Wreck is now protected and penetration inside the actual shipwreck is forbidden to avoid any corrosion due to the air bubbles.
Marine Life
The marine Life around the SS Yongala is just amazing. You can spot giant groupers the size of a small car, eagles rays and Manta Rays gliding by, many sea turtles, sea snakes, huge schools of Barracudas, Giant trevallies hunting around and various species of Sharks including the rare Bull Shark and Tiger Shark!
During the right season from June to November, it is sometimes possible to spot also around the wreck Minke Whales or humpback Whales! The gentle Giant Whale Shak is a possible encounter from October to January.
You will enjoy superb hard and soft coral as well as gorgonians sea fans dancing in the current.
This dive site is really an excellent place for underwater photography, so don’t forget your camera.
Access
The main gateway to dive the SS Yongala is Townsville. It takes about 3 hours (89 km) by fast boat from Townsville to reach the shipwreck. It is also possible to dive the Yongala from Ayr (1 hr drive south of Townsville) for a much shorter trip (30 min boat ride rather than 3 hours). The shorter trip means that it can be accessed more and is less likely to cancel due to weather conditions.
Several liveaboards start from Townsville and visit the SS Yongala on their way to the Great Barrier Reef.
You can dive SS Yongala Wreck all year long. Access: from the Shore. See the map of SS Yongala Wreck on the right for the exact location.
Fishes you may spot while diving SS Yongala Wreck
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Bannerfish
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Barracuda
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Batfish
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Bull Shark
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Eagle Ray
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Fusilier
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Giant Trevally
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Grouper
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Guitar Shark
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Leopard Shark
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Manta Ray
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Moray Eel
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Napoleon Wrasse
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Sea Snake
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Tiger Shark
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Trevally
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Turtle
... and more fishes & sea life, Bull Ray, Jack, Nurse Shark, Wobbegong Shark
Photos
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Flying Ray Manta in Bali!Photo by Jihye Lee -
Sea Snake Black WhitePhoto by Jihye Lee -
Sea Snake SeaPhoto by Rich Guest -
BarracudasPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Ribbon Eel Lembeh StraitPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Moray Eel CloseupPhoto by Agnes Tjandranegara -
Stack Eagle RaysPhoto by Matthieu Billaud -
Sea Snake Like CreaturePhoto by Jihye Lee -
Turtle Checking Us OutPhoto by Rich Guest -
Batfish School Beautiful SettingPhoto by Jihye Lee
Diving Reviews for this region
Townsville
Explore the Yongala Wreck, one of the best dive sites in Australia! Access to the Great Barrier Reef.
Cairns
Excellent Place for scuba diving courses and to get your Padi Open Water. Main gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Liveaboard starting point.
Great Barrier Reef
Excellent Diving and liveaboard destination. Amazing spot for Big fishes, Sharks, superb coral and underwater photography. Most popular place in the World to learn scuba diving in Cairns. One of the best dive sites in the World with the Yongala Wreck!
Ningaloo Reef
Excellent scuba diving with the chance to spot Whale Sharks or Manta Rays during the right season.
Port Douglas
Perfect gateway to the Great Barrier Reef with possibility of snorkelling tours and diving day trips. Many Liveaboard cruises start from Port Douglas.
Australia
Australia is the most amazing Scuba Diving Destination in the World! It is very popular for the Great Barrier Reef, Great White Shark cage diving and the Ningaloo Reef where you can swim with Whale Sharks.
Whitsunday Islands
Good Diving on the local reef dive sites and easy access to excellent diving on the Great Barrier Reef!
The Yongala is the very best wreck site in the wolrd in my opinion. Awsome marie life and great coral.
The ss Yongala is an amazing dive sit. I can only say if it in oz then take go diving
Simply the best dive I have ever done! Did a study abroad program in Townsville at JCU and was so fortunate enough to get 6 dives on the amazing wreck. The history about the wreck, the whales singing through the blue, the massive animal life with eaglerays, bullrays, banded/olive kraits, heaps of turtles, guitar sharks, bull shark, shoals of barracudas and trevallies – everything just added up and made it the most amazing thing ever. Seriously, if you get the opportunity to do the dive, you should!
Quickly the most effective dive I have ever before completed! Have inked a report abroad method inside Townsville at JCU and absolutely was so that fortunate to have six delves around the incredible clutter. These background in regards to the wreck, the whales whistling during the orange, a large animal life together with eaglerays, bullrays, banded/olive kraits, stacks inside turtles, keyboard whales, bull shark, shoals of most barracudas and trevallies – everything only brought up so caused it to be the most wonderful point actually. Seriously, should you have the possiblity to do that the dive, you need to!
Don’t miss this dive. Long boat ride but worth it.
I have dived in PNG, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Vanuatu, Maldives, Cairns, Heron Island & more. The Yongala is the WORST dive I have ever done. Do not waste your time & money.
We dove the Yongala wreck 3 years ago and it was the best AND the worst dive I ever had !
The best because we saw almost all the kind of fishes that you describe, we even saw a whaleshark on our way back to the surface.
The worst because as you explain it’s a difficult dive with a lot of current and only one operator offers to dive there. And as always when it comes to busyness it’s a mess : they only look for filling up there boat and you end up with more than 50% of OWD with less than 10 dives. As a consequence the dives only last 25min ’cause all the beginners empty there tanks in 20min, and even if you’re a couple of AOW with 50 dives they don’t leave you continue the dive by yourself, it’s a wreck damn it how can we get lost ?!!
So YES dive the Yongala, but DON’T dive it with YONGALA DIVE !
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the SS Yongala seems like a great site to dive but I would echo some of the other comments above about avoiding the operator Dive Yongala based out of Ayr. I spent 10 hrs flying and few more hours driving to get to Ayr and when I landed up at the operators venue on my scheduled dive date, they told me they cancelled – ostensibly cause of weather – it was fine day – I looked at all the bulletin reports etc. I was later told by businesses in the area that they often do this when they can’t fill the boat. No phone call, no email – just land up on the day to be told it’s cancelled – after I planned and booked months in advance. This happened not once but twice. After which I gave up on trying to dive the Yongala. Next time I will try the operators in Townsville
I dived the SS Yongala in 2005 and it is the best diving I have ever done. I am fortunate to have dived in many different countries, having started when I was 13 (2000), and each site has its pros and cons, but for me the SS Yongala stands out as the best I’ve dived. It is challenging because of the current, but well worth the exertion. The marine life is astounding for its size, abundance and diversity, and the wreck is fascinating.