Tangalooma Wrecks

The Tangalooma Wrecks are 15 vessels, mostly old dredges, barges and small ships, scuttled in a curved line in shallow water off Tangalooma Beach on Moreton Island, Queensland. The sinkings began in 1963 to build a breakwater and a safe anchorage for small boats, and the hulls have since grown into an artificial reef.

The water is sheltered and shallow, about 4 m (13 ft) at most, and visibility is good. In calm conditions you can snorkel straight from the shore, and low tide is preferred because the current picks up at higher tide, so dive at slack water.

Dense schools of small tropical reef fish surround the hulls, and wobbegong sharks lie motionless on the wrecks or seabed. Green turtles and rays are seen regularly, and dolphins and dugongs are sometimes visible nearby but are not certain on any visit. Water is warmest and clearest from December to February, and dugongs are most often seen from September to November.