The Scottish Prince Shipwreck

The Scottish Prince Shipwreck is a historic wreck lying in 11m of water off Main Beach, Southport, on the Gold Coast. The Scottish Prince was a 64m long steel-masted iron barque that ran aground on a sand bar there on 3 February 1887, after a four month journey from Glasgow with Brisbane as her destination. Her cargo, which included beer and whisky, was looted before a salvage attempt could be made, and a storm several days later left the ship a total wreck.

The hull is open for inspection and there is no penetration, with the bow and stern the most prominent features. The bow sits proud of the bottom and is twisted to the right, and at about 5m high it is the tallest part of the wreck. The stern is twisted as well. Recent storms have uncovered more of the hull.

This is a beginner dive with good visibility, available year-round, though it can turn surgy if there is a ground swell. Yellowtail scad, silver batfish, bream, bullseyes, trevally, kingfish and mackerel gather around the wreck, and divers have also reported spotted and ornate wobbegongs, brown-banded bamboo sharks, blind sharks, morwongs and wrasse here.