Warship turned marine marvel
It’s not every day we are given the opportunity to help transform a Royal Australian Navy ship into a world-class dive site with a flourishing marine eco-system in the Great Sandy Marine Park.
The ex-HMAS Tobruk dive wreck project was a partnership between the tourism portfolio and several government departments, as well as the Bundaberg and Fraser Coast Regional Councils, that produced a dive wreck experience like no other.
In June 2018, the decommissioned warship was scuttled 22 nautical metres from Burnett Heads and 25 nautical metres from Hervey Bay.
The dive wreck has gone on to become a major tourist drawcard for the Wide Bay region.
The availability of the ex-HMAS Tobruk as a wreck-dive experience supports other iconic attractions in the region including the Great Barrier Reef and Mon Repos Turtle Rookery.
Over the years the ship has been transformed into a magnificent marine ecosystem, providing homes and shelter for hundreds of species of fish, including grouper, trevally and wrasse along with molluscs, turtles, hard corals and various species of ray.
Due to the open design of the shipwreck, certified divers have access to explore 8 deck levels, including a 100 metre swim within the cavernous tank deck.
For those divers with a keen sense of adventure, this enchanting dive site is one to be added to the bucket list. The shallowest part of the wreck lies in 10.9 metres of water, easily accessed by certified open water divers. More advanced divers are able to explore the entire wreck, which rests at a depth of 30 metres.
Divers can also expect to see and hear migrating humpback whales as they traverse through the area from May to November.
Ready to book your dive? Grab a permit and your diving gear now.
Watch the footage from the ex HMAS Tobruk dive site in the Great Sandy Marine Park.
Video courtesy of the Department of Environment and Science.