Diving the S.S. Yongala

I should entitle my trip: The Top Tens.  Top ten SCUBA dives, top ten walks, top ten beaches in the world.  I have now ticked several of these off these exclusive lists.  My latest was diving the S.S. Yongala (one of my last three goals in Australia - the other two being a surf camp from Byron to Sydney and the Rock).  The S.S. Yongala is arguably the worst disaster in Australian maritime history and arguably one of the best wreck dives in the world and one of the best in Australia.

A little history about the wreck first.  Built by Adelaide Steamship Company, which some of you may recognize as being the company that built the Titanic (not the greatest track record for them), in 1903 for the run around the southern coast of Australia.  After operating successfully for about 8 years the Yongala, along with its crew of 73 and 51 passengers, as well as prize bull and a racehorse named "Moonshine" all perished in a cyclone.  The wreck is located approximately 11 nautical miles off the coast of Australia and is almost entirely intact.

This is such a good dive because, just like real estate it's all about location location location.  There is nothing else around for miles and since the wreck has been down there for so long it has its own reef system.  This attracts reef fish, estuary fish from the mainland and all the big hungry bad boys that are just looking for a feed. What I saw: A 3.5m Bull shark, a 3m Gray Nurse shark, heap and heaps of Giant Trevally - weight ranging from 200kgs to 600kgs and one of the biggest ones I've ever seen had a massive bite out of its back, the entire dorsal fin was missing - I never want to meet whatever animal did that.  I was diving with turtles, sea snakes, massive Maori Wrasse, and a Potato Cod named VW, literally because he is the size of a VW Beetle.  I will try to post pictures of these fish when i have more time. ONLY 5 TRIPS LEFT ON THE BOAT!!!