The Brahmin was a 616-ton ship on passage from London to Sydney with passengers and cargo when she struck rocks south of Whistler Point during a gale on 21 May 1854. The Marine Life Network guide says only 24 of those aboard reached the shore 700 m away, and a wreck summary adds that the survivors were rescued after five months on the island.

The guide rates the wreck 7 out of 10 and archaeologically significant because of the range of artefacts. It lies on the seaward side of the reef, largely broken up with few intact hull sections, the bow marked by two anchors and the windlass in about 6 m and the stern pointing north-east in 2-3 m. Cargo is strewn across the rocky bottom: china, earthenware, lead shot, copper coins and clay pipes are common, and porcelain figurines have been found. The guide's instruction is clear - look but don't touch.

King Island has more recorded shipwrecks than anywhere else in Australia - King Island Tourism puts the figure at over sixty - because ships running for Bass Strait on the 'clipper route' from Europe had to thread the gap between the island and Cape Otway, often in fog and gales with uncertain navigation. Most wrecks lie in shallow water on exposed reefs and have been broken up by more than a century of westerly swell, so diving them is about history and scattered remains rather than intact hulls.

All wrecks over 75 years old are protected under Commonwealth and Tasmanian heritage law: look but do not touch, and report any new finds to the Parks and Wildlife Service maritime archaeologist. With no chamber on the island, a diving injury means aeromedical evacuation to Melbourne or Hobart, so dive conservatively and carry oxygen.

King Island is reached by air from Melbourne (about 50 minutes), Burnie/Wynyard or Launceston; there is no passenger ferry, so divers fly in and hire a vehicle at the airport near Currie. Currie, the main town, is on the west coast; Grassy (with its harbour and boat ramp) is on the south-east coast about 30 minutes' drive away. Roads to the coast are a mix of sealed and gravel.

The Brahmin lies off the Duck Bay/Eel Creek area of the north-west coast, south of Whistler Point. The Marine Life Network guide describes boat access between rocks that break at low water; launch at Currie (about 30-40 minutes' run north) and only attempt in a calm sea.

King Island sits in the path of the Roaring Forties, and its west coast (Currie, Netherby, Cataraqui, Brahmin) takes the full force of the prevailing westerly and south-westerly swell; these sites are diveable only after long calm periods or in easterly weather, which is most common in late summer. The east coast around Grassy is sheltered in westerlies and becomes the fallback. Strong tidal streams run around the island's capes after gales.

Exposed north-west coast; diveable only in calm or easterly weather at mid to high tide.

Anchor on the seaward side of the reef, locate the two anchors and windlass at about 6 m marking the bow, and follow the scattered cargo across the rocky bottom towards the stern in 2-3 m. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.

No dive shop or charter currently listed on King Island (Underwater Australasia has no listings); the King Island Dive Charters/Dive Centre referred to in older guides no longer appears to trade. Visitors must bring their own gear and arrange cylinders and a boat locally (hire weights/tanks on the island where possible to reduce air freight). Verify any current operator before travelling.