Goose Island, with its unmanned lighthouse (which once sheltered shipwrecked crews), was a popular anchorage for sailing vessels. The Marine Life Network guide rates it 7 out of 10: the eastern side near the lighthouse has interesting reefs running parallel to the shore on sand at about 10 m, the northern channel near Little Goose Island is shallower (about 5 m) and very rocky with delicate seaweed and abundant old wives, and the western side is deeper, with large boulders and more exposure. The wreck of the 239-ton wooden vessel Merilyn lies here, heavily demolished by explosives; its propeller is at the Emita museum. Local advice from Flinders Island Dive or the charter skippers at Lady Barron on current conditions, tides and exact positions is the best starting point for any dive here.

The Furneaux Group - Flinders, Cape Barren, Clarke, Preservation and dozens of smaller islands - is one of Australia's least-dived temperate regions. Granite dominates, but Flinders Island also has unusual limestone reefs, and the islands' position on the eastern approach to Bass Strait left a long trail of shipwrecks from the colony's earliest years. The Marine Life Network guide remains the fullest published account of the dive sites; since then Flinders Island Dive at Emita has made air and guiding available on the island.

All wrecks over 75 years old are protected under Commonwealth and Tasmanian heritage law: nothing may be disturbed or removed, and new finds should be reported to the Parks and Wildlife Service. There is no chamber on the island, so a diving injury means aeromedical evacuation to Hobart or Melbourne; dive conservatively and carry oxygen.

Flinders Island is reached by air from Launceston (about 35 minutes) or Melbourne, landing at Whitemark, or by the vehicular freight ferry from Bridport. Flinders Island Dive at Emita can supply cylinders and weights, which avoids air-freighting heavy gear. Whitemark's ramp is difficult at tide extremes; Lady Barron in the south has the best ramp and most sheltered anchorage and is the base for trips to Cape Barren, Preservation and Clarke islands.

Goose Island is south-west of Flinders Island, about 1-1.5 hours by charter boat from Lady Barron or Whitemark depending on conditions. The guide rates it category 3 mainly because of the remoteness and boating conditions.

The Furneaux Group sits in eastern Bass Strait: the west coast of Flinders Island is exposed to the prevailing westerlies, the east coast to easterly summer gales, and strong tidal streams run through Franklin Sound, Armstrong Channel and the passages between the islands, especially after gales. January-April offers the most settled weather, but sudden southerly or westerly changes can arrive with little warning, so plan around a safe anchorage. The western side is more exposed; the eastern side near the lighthouse is the usual choice.

On the eastern side, follow the reefs that run parallel to the shore on the sandy bottom at about 10 m; in the northern channel near Little Goose Island dive the rocky 5 m shallows; the western side has deeper boulders.

Flinders Island Dive (Emita, west coast; ph 0428 598 529) offers scuba and snorkel hire, air, and small-group guided diving, snorkelling and fishing tours including reefs, caves and shipwrecks, year-round. Charter boats Rockjaw Tours and Latitude Charters (listed by Visit Flinders Island) run trips that can include diving; the southern wrecks are reached from Lady Barron.