Since the HMAS Swan went down in Geographe Bay in 1997, Australia has scuttled a fleet of decommissioned naval vessels as dive sites: the Perth, Hobart, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Tobruk, plus patrol boats and the WWI J-class submarines dumped a century earlier. Each was prepared with access holes for recreational divers and has become a reef in its own right.
Updated daily from the directory. 12 sites listed.
1. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
ex-HMAS Canberra
Sunk 2009 · A 138 m frigate scuttled off Ocean Grove with cut access points at every deck, dived daily in season.
Our takeSister ship to the Adelaide, sunk off Ocean Grove in 2009 and standing almost upright with the bridge at 8 m. Port Phillip Heads currents mean she is dived on slack water; the reward is 20 m visibility on a good day and a hangar full of bullseyes.
2. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
HMAS Bayonet
Sunk 1999 · An Attack-class patrol boat scuttled in 1999 and found in 2001 – upright and clean in 82 m off Cape Schanck with waterline marks still readable; a rare rebreather expedition dive.
Our takeNot a prepared wreck. The patrol boat was scuttled in deep water off Cape Schanck in 1999 without any thought of divers, and found by them in 2001, upright and clean in 82 m. Technical only.
3. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
HMAS Goorangai
Sunk 1940 · Scattered remains of the auxiliary minesweeper cut in two by MV Duntroon in November 1940 with the loss of all 24 crew – the RAN's first WWII loss, a war grave in 12–15 m in the South Channel, thick with cuttlefish and seahorses.
4. Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay · VIC
J7 Submarine (Sandringham)
Sunk 1930 · The last J-class submarine in commission, scuttled as a marina breakwater in 1930 and visible from the Sandringham foreshore – a heritage snorkel in 1–2 m.
5. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
SS Coogee
Sunk 1928 · Photogenic stern with steering quadrant under two decks, twin boilers you can swim between, and a bow on its side with railings intact – all in 28–35 m.
6. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
SS Courier
Sunk 1928 · Planked foredeck 7 m proud of the sand and the most colourful sponge growth in the Graveyard; two boilers in line with crayfish beneath.
7. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
J4 Submarine
Sunk 1927 · The most accessible of Victoria's WWI submarines – intact conning tower, exposed torpedo tubes and open hatches in 19–28 m; a superb photo subject in clear water.
8. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
J5 Submarine
Sunk 1926 · A WWI J-class submarine in 36 m in the Ships' Graveyard, the most intact of the four.
9. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
J1 Submarine
Sunk 1926 · An intact 84 m WWI submarine standing upright in 38 m and blanketed in yellow zoanthids; hatch access into the control room for trained divers.
10. Port Phillip Heads · VIC
J2 Submarine
Sunk 1926 · A WWI J-class submarine snapped in two, with the open cross-section of the pressure hull visible at the break; rarely crowded.
11. Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay · VIC
HMVS Cerberus
Sunk 1926 · The world's first breastwork monitor and only survivor of the type, scuttled as a breakwater in 1926 – now collapsed, protected and viewed from Half Moon Bay beach.
12. Melbourne & Port Phillip Bay · VIC
J3 Submarine (Swan Island)
Sunk 1926 · The most complete J-class submarine in Victoria, upright with its deck above water 100 m off Swan Island and resting on the hulk S. F. Hersey – but inside a Defence prohibited area and effectively off-limits.
The guide
The Australian scuttling program
Between 1997 and 2018 Australia sank seven major warships as dive sites: the Swan (1997, WA), Perth (2001, WA), Hobart (2002, SA), Brisbane (2005, QLD), Canberra (2009, VIC), Adelaide (2011, NSW) and Tobruk (2018, QLD). Every state except Tasmania and the Territory has one, and each was cleaned of fuel, oils, wiring and hazards, cut with access holes and sunk upright (or, in the Tobruk's case, not quite) in 28 to 35 m so that the superstructure is within Open Water depth and the decks within Advanced.
Older scuttlings and losses fill out the list: the Doomba, a WWI minesweeper that became a Sydney oil barge; the Goolgwai; the Bayonet; and the Plym, the frigate vaporised in Britain's first atomic test at the Montebello Islands in 1952, of which only scattered pieces remain.
Which one to dive first
For a first wreck dive: the Tobruk's upper hull or the Hobart's marked trail. Both are shallow enough for Open Water divers with a guide and have clear, easy routes. For penetration on a recreational certification: the Adelaide, which has the most prepared interior, or the Brisbane. For big fish life: the Brisbane and the Swan, both of which have had decades to grow. For a cold-water wreck with spectacular visibility: the Perth at Albany. For a challenge: the Canberra on the turn of the tide at the Heads.
All of the prepared wrecks are run by local operators on moorings, most with a permit or fee system that funds the mooring maintenance. Several close in winter swell or, for the Canberra and Brisbane, after storms while the site is inspected. Check the operator page linked from each site.
Penetration is still penetration
A prepared wreck has cut openings, natural light and cleared passages, which is why recreational divers can go inside. It does not remove silt, sharp edges, entanglement or the possibility of getting turned around in a compartment with three exits. Follow the guide's route, stay in the light zone, keep a hand's reach from an exit, and take the wreck specialty course before going anywhere the guide would not take a group.
Editorial last reviewed September 2026. The list itself is regenerated from the directory daily.
Frequently asked questions
Which scuttled warship is the best dive?
The ex-HMAS Brisbane off Mooloolaba is the most complete and accessible; the Canberra and Adelaide are dived daily in season; the Swan is the calmest; the Perth and Hobart suit divers who want cold clear water and fewer people.
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