SS Yongala
Queensland, AU · 16–30 m · often 10–20 m · Jun–Oct popular
Sank 1911; a protected historic shipwreck on the GBR with dense fish. Typically dived as an exterior.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Accessibility20
Skill ceiling84
Gear load86
Risk90
Seasonality48
Wow factor80
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Which local rescue or training agency should I check first?
Use the local lens: coastguard/federation norms and the shop briefing for that bay — not a blog visibility claim.
Why is risk scored so high here?
Silt, entanglement, lost exits and the urge to “just look inside” show up in fatality reports. Night-plus-wreck is worse.
What is the Yongala?
A 1911 passenger steamer off Queensland, now a protected historic wreck and a famous GBR dive — typically exterior.
What is the Thistlegorm?
A 1941 British cargo ship bombed in the Red Sea, rediscovered by Cousteau’s team in the 1950s, now a mass recreational wreck.
Are wrecks war graves?
Many are. Touching remains or souvenirs is illegal and indecent.
Do people need trimix?
Not for typical recreational wreck exteriors. Deep technical wrecks are another sport.
These wrecks are real and famous. Depths are typical published bands, not a live plan. Penetration is not implied.
A protected historic wreck is a museum that happens to be wet.
Points
SS Thistlegorm
Red Sea, Egypt · 16–30 m · often 15–30 m · year-round
Sank 1941; cargo (trucks, BSA bikes) made it a mass wreck. Holds are overhead.
USS Kittiwake
Grand Cayman · 4–20 m · often 20–30 m · year-round
A purpose-sunk 2011 artificial reef, shallower and more planned than a war grave.
Coron wrecks (Irako / Olympia Maru)
Palawan, PH · 16–30 m · often 8–20 m · Nov–May drier
1944 fleet. Some wrecks are recreational exteriors; many penetrations are technical.
SMS / Scapa Flow wrecks
Orkney, UK · 12–45 m · cold, variable · summer neaps
The 1919 German fleet scuttle; cold, tidal, historic. Not a tropics holiday.
USAT Liberty
Tulamben, Bali · 4–30 m · often 10–20 m · year-round, current
A shore-accessible 1942 wreck that became a rec classic — crowded, current-prone, easy to silt.
Fujikawa Maru (Truk/Chuuk)
Chuuk, FSM · 8–34 m · often 10–20 m · year-round lagoon
Operation Hailstone 1944; Truk’s wrecks are a technical and historical pilgrimage.
RMS Rhone
British Virgin Islands · 6–24 m · often 15–25 m · year-round
Sank 1867 in a hurricane; a Caribbean rec wreck with a stern in shallower water.
Tips
- Read the legal status — Grave, historic, or artificial reef.
- Exterior photos are enough — Most of the beauty is on the hull.
- Current at the funnel — Wrecks create their own water.
- Do not invent a penetration — If the brief did not include a line, there is no line.
Famous wrecks are museums and graves. The holiday is an exterior circuit.