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. 4 sites listed.
1. Albany & Great Southern · WA
HMAS Perth Wreck
Sunk 2001 · Albany's 133 m guided-missile destroyer in cold, clear water, scuttled in 2001.
Our takeSunk off Albany in 2001 as Australia's second prepared warship. The interpretive trail takes divers through the bridge, past the gun mount and into the engine room; Albany's cold, clear water keeps her remarkably clean.
2. Geographe Bay & Busselton · WA
HMAS Swan Wreck
Sunk 1997 · A 113 m destroyer escort scuttled off Dunsborough in 1997 with easy penetration and resident schools of fish.
Our takeThe original, 1997, in Geographe Bay. A 113 m destroyer escort upright in 31 m with the crow's nest at 8 m, cut for penetration before that was standard practice. Busselton and Dunsborough boats run her year-round in the flat bay water.
3. Pilbara & Dampier · WA
HMAS Plym (Montebello Islands)
Sunk 1952 · Site of Britain's first atomic test, 1952.
4. Rottnest Island · WA
HNLMS K XI Submarine Wreck
Sunk 1946 · A 1924 Dutch colonial submarine, lost for almost 80 years and found in 2025, lying in 38 m with torpedo tubes still visible.
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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