The '3 Ships' are the centrepiece of the Roy Rufus Artificial Reef. The hulls of the Otter, the Pelican and the Lass O'Gowrie were placed close together and are connected by picket lines in 14-17 m, allowing divers to visit all three in a single dive even in the reef's typically murky water. Marinelife.org.au dates the vessels to 1880 (Pelican), 1884 (Otter) and 1885 (Lass O'Gowrie) – old working boats from the Wide Bay area that ended their lives as habitat. Hervey Bay Dive Centre lists the '3 Ships' among its local wreck dives.

After decades underwater, the hulls are low and broken rather than intact ships, and they are thickly encrusted with soft corals, sponges and ascidians. The growth shelters scorpionfish and stonefish, so buoyancy control and hands-off diving are essential. Wobbegongs rest beside the hulls, stingrays lie in the sand between them, and gropers, coral trout and schooling fish hang around the structure. Turtles and sea snakes are common across the reef.

The picket lines are what make this site work: Visit Fraser Coast notes average visibility of about 5 m, rarely more than 10 m, so following the lines is the safest way to move between hulls. The reef is dived only around high tide because of the strong tidal flow in the Great Sandy Strait.

This is the most dived part of Roy Rufus and the usual first dive for visitors. It suits Open Water divers with a guide, and is a good introduction to low-visibility wreck diving and to the rich invertebrate life that grows on the bay's structures.

Hervey Bay's boat dives leave from Urangan Boat Harbour (Great Sandy Straits Marina / Boat Club Marina, Buccaneer Drive, Urangan), at the eastern end of Hervey Bay's Esplanade about 10 minutes' drive from Pialba; there is free parking at the marina and a public boat ramp in the harbour. Hervey Bay Dive Centre runs its local wreck and reef trips from here. The Roy Rufus Artificial Reef lies off the eastern side of Big Woody Island, about 4.5 nm east of Urangan Harbour – 15-20 minutes by boat.

Individual structures are marked by GPS; anchor in sand beside them, never on the wrecks. Departure times are set to reach the site at high-water slack.

Hervey Bay lies in the lee of K'gari, so ocean swell is rarely a problem; the limits are wind, tide and visibility. South-east trades over about 15-20 knots kick up a steep, short chop across the bay, and strong northerlies do the same in summer. Tides in the Great Sandy Strait run hard, so dives are timed for high-water slack – the Roy Rufus reef is dived only around high tide – and neap tides give the calmest water and best visibility.

Visibility is modest, typically 5 m and rarely above 10 m, and drops further after rain when the Mary River and creeks discharge into the bay (December-March). Winter (June-October) is generally calmer and clearer, and coincides with humpback whale season.

Descend the line to the first hull, then follow the picket lines from ship to ship – the lines are the key to not getting lost in 5 m visibility. Circle each hull, then return along the lines to the ascent point before the tide turns. Safety stop on the line.

Hervey Bay Dive Centre (Urangan Harbour) – 'Local Wreck Dives' trips to the Roy Rufus Artificial Reef and nearby sites (Goori, 3 Ships, K'gari, Iron Maria, Hardie and Simpson reefs, Snapper Grounds, Moon Ledge) on demand, timed to the high-tide slack; private boats also use the site.