The Hustler 3 is a small trawler wreck lying at about 22 m off northern Moreton Island, one of the less publicised dives in the outer Moreton area. Nigel Marsh's guide to Moreton Island diving for Scuba Diver magazine lists it alongside the Cementco and the Smith Rock wrecks, describing a small trawler now well covered in coral and home to schools of sweetlips and snapper. Beyond that, little has been published about the vessel's history, how it came to sink or its exact position, so divers should rely on their operator's briefing.

As with the Cementco, the attraction of a small wreck in open water off Moreton is the way it concentrates fish. Sweetlips and snapper school over the hull, and the structure offers shelter to wobbegongs, crayfish and moray eels, while pelagic fish from the surrounding open water often pass through. Coral growth, which Marsh highlights, is a sign of the warm East Australian Current water that washes the outer Moreton sites and supports the tropical elements of Flinders Reef nearby.

At 22 m the dive is within advanced open-water limits but still requires attention to no-decompression time, and a small wreck is easily explored in one dive. It is a good add-on for divers who have done the better-known outer sites and want to tick off another wreck. Confirm the vessel's details and any penetration hazards locally before diving.

Because it lies in open water with the same exposure as the other northern sites, it is usually paired with Flinders Reef as a shallow second dive on the way home.

Boat access only. Brisbane charters leave from Manly Boat Harbour (Brisbane Scuba departs from the corner of Royal Esplanade and Davenport Drive, Manly) or from Scarborough Boat Harbour on the Redcliffe Peninsula, crossing Moreton Bay and running out through the North West Channel past Bulwer and Comboyuro Point to the northern tip of Moreton Island. Allow roughly 75-90 minutes from Manly in good conditions.

Sunshine Coast operators run south from The Wharf, Mooloolaba, in about 45 minutes. Private boats typically launch at Scarborough or Bribie Island; the open-water crossing around Cape Moreton is exposed and should only be attempted in settled weather with local knowledge.

An outer-Moreton site: easterly or north-easterly swell over about 1.5 m, and winds over 15 knots, make the crossing and the dive uncomfortable. Currents vary with the tide; slack water is preferred. Visibility on the outer sites averages 15-30 m, best in winter.

Summer afternoon north-easterly sea breezes make the return crossing rough, so morning dives are preferred; winter westerly days give the best combination of calm seas and clear water.

Descend the shot to the wreck at 22 m, circle the hull slowly looking at the coral growth and the schools of sweetlips and snapper, then return to the line. With a small wreck, one or two loops is enough.

Visited occasionally by Brisbane Scuba and other Brisbane operators on outer-Moreton days (per Nigel Marsh's Scuba Diver guide).