SS Yongala

Verified2026-09-11 checkedWreckPelagic

A 110 m passenger steamer lost in 1911, now the only hard structure on an open sand plain.

Depth: 16–30 m52–98 ft
Difficulty: Advanced
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Strong
Coordinates: 19°18.318′S 147°37.332′E
Activities: Scuba

The Yongala sank in a cyclone in 1911 with all 122 aboard and was not identified until 1958. Because it is the only structure for miles, it aggregates marine life to a degree that surprises even experienced wreck divers — bull rays, sea snakes, giant groupers and large schools all hold on the hull. It is a war grave and penetration is prohibited. Current is frequently strong and the mooring line is the reference for the whole dive.

Boat from Ayr or Townsville, Queensland; around 30 minutes from Alva Beach.

Best season

ExcellentJun–Sep
GoodMar–May
GoodOct–Dec
FairJan–Feb

Before you get in

Going inside a wreck is an overhead environment: silt can take the visibility in seconds, and there is entanglement. Swimming the outside of it is a different dive.
Recorded as a site with strong current. Settle your gas reserve, when you would call the dive, and your surface signal before you get in.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 23.6°C74°F
Wave height: 0.4 m1 ft
Air temperature: 23.4°C74°F
Wind speed: 18.6 km/h11.6 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

Low01:12-0.62 m
High06:501.41 m
Low13:03-0.55 m
High19:051.88 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Giant shovelnose rayGlaucostegus typusRare
Marbled stingrayTaeniura meyeniRare
Irukandji jellyfishCarukia barnesiNov–MarSeasonal
Giant trevallyCaranx ignobilisCommon
Spotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariCommon
Banded sea kraitLaticauda colubrinaCommon
Green turtleChelonia mydasCommon
Giant grouperEpinephelus lanceolatusCommon
Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasCommon
Box jellyfishChironex fleckeriNov–MarSeasonal
Olive sea snakeAipysurus laevisCommon

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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