The Antonio Tarabocchia was an Italian motorship of 5,851 tons that struck the seaward side of Bougainville Reef, about 250 km north-east of Cairns, in mid-November 1961. Marinelife.org.au records that she was on her way to load sugar when she struck the reef in darkness, and that her bow rode out of the water; salvage attempts failed. Dive the World says she sank after hitting the reef during south-easterly storms on a dark, rainy night. The Coral Sea shipwreck register kept by Oceans Enterprises lists her as a steel freighter.

More than sixty years of Coral Sea weather have broken the ship apart. Today the remains are scattered across gentle coral terraces on the reef slope, heavily deteriorated but still easy to recognise. Mike Ball describes an engine block and propeller as the main features, with a resident potato cod that follows divers around the site. Hull plates, ribs and machinery lie among hard corals, which have colonised much of the wreckage.

The water is very clear, so the whole debris field can be taken in from above. Marinelife.org.au gives a depth of about 15 m, and the shallowest wreckage lies only a few metres down on the reef edge. Reef fish shelter among the plates, including anemonefish, Maori wrasse, clown triggerfish and snappers, and sharks patrol the slope below.

The Tarabocchia is not a penetration wreck; there are no intact spaces to enter. It is a relaxed, photogenic dive that suits all certified divers, with history, coral and a friendly potato cod. Having sunk in 1961, the wreck will not qualify for automatic protection under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 (which covers wrecks 75 or more years old) until 2036, but it lies within the Coral Sea Marine Park, and divers should take nothing and leave it as found.

Liveaboard only. Mike Ball's Spoilsport visits Bougainville on its 4-night Osprey fly-dive (Cairns departure Thursday evening, return by flight from Lizard Island), 5-night Coral Sea & Cod Hole and 7-night Coral Sea expeditions; the overnight run from Cairns is roughly 230 km of open ocean. Bougainville is not guaranteed on every itinerary and is usually allocated one day.

The wreck is on Mike Ball's 4-night Osprey, 5-night and 7-night Coral Sea itineraries. The boat moors near the wreck site and divers descend onto the coral terraces where the machinery lies.

Bougainville is a small, isolated Coral Sea reef about 230 km north-east of Cairns and 150 km south of Osprey, with no land to shelter behind, so the surface can be choppy in any SE trade wind over about 20 knots, common June to August. Conditions broadly follow Osprey's, though Bougainville is sometimes calmer when Osprey is windy. Currents are generally mild but can pick up on the corners and walls.

September to December usually gives the calmest seas and best visibility (20–40 m); December to April is cyclone season.

Descend to the engine block and propeller at about 15 m, look for the resident potato cod, then follow the scattered hull plates and machinery across the terraces. Finish over the shallow reef top among plates and debris for the safety stop.

No penetration – debris field only.

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions (Spoilsport) – 4-night Osprey fly-dive, 5-night Coral Sea & Cod Hole and 7-night Coral Sea expeditions from Cairns; Bougainville included on most Coral Sea departures when weather allows. Listed as 'MV Antonio Tarabocchia' on the Osprey fly-dive itinerary.