The Fides was a three-masted wooden barque, built in 1857, that came to grief on Kangaroo Island's north-west coast about 0.5 km west of Snug Cove. DEW's shipwreck trail gives her dates as 1857-1860; other records date the loss to 1859. She drifted ashore and broke up rapidly beneath the cliffs, and only six of her 15 crew survived according to one account (the Marine Life Network says ten lives were lost).

There is no intact structure. What remains is wreckage against the cliff in an underwater gully, with cargo still visible – the Marine Life Network describes brass fittings, bottles and cutlery scattered among the rocks at about 10 m. The appeal is the detective work of finding artefacts among boulders and weed, set against the backdrop of the towering cliffs and a healthy reef with varied fish life. Blue groper, wrasse, sweep and boarfish are common, and the gully walls carry sponges and algae.

The Fides is one of the stops on the DEW Kangaroo Island Shipwreck Trail, and like all historic shipwrecks in South Australia her remains are protected: look, photograph and leave everything in place. The site's remoteness and cliff-side position mean it is only diveable on calm days with southerly winds, and there is no shore access. Combine it with the walls of Snug Cove. It suits divers with an interest in maritime history who are comfortable in remote conditions. A slow, careful search of the gully typically fills a whole dive, and photographers should bring a light to bring out the colour of the encrusted fittings.

Take the SeaLink ferry from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw (45 min), then drive west via Kingscote and the North Coast Road; the western north-coast sites are 1-1.5 hours from Kingscote on partly unsealed roads (red dirt, corrugations). The wreck is reached by boat along the north-west coast (for example from Stokes Bay or with a Kingscote operator), about 0.5 km west of Snug Cove beneath the cliffs. Anchor in calm southerly conditions and descend to the gully against the cliff.

Kangaroo Island's north coast faces Investigator Strait and is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly Southern Ocean swell, so it is the island's most reliable diving coast. It is exposed to northerly and north-westerly winds and swell, which bring surge, poor visibility and dangerous entries – dive on southerly to south-easterly winds or after a few days of southerlies. Summer and autumn have the most settled weather; winter fronts bring north-westerlies before they pass.

Visibility is often 10-20 m in good conditions. Mornings are calmer before sea breezes. The wreck lies hard against the cliff, so any northerly swell makes it undiveable.

Anchor off the cliff, descend into the gully and work along it looking for scattered fittings, bottles and cargo remains wedged among the rocks at 5-10 m; look but do not disturb.

Protected historic shipwreck – no souveniring.

Kangaroo Island Dive & Adventures (Kingscote) – guided north-coast boat and shore dives (confirm current trading); otherwise private boats. Part of the DEW Kangaroo Island Shipwreck Trail.