Ep 65 - Free-diving the wrecks off Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) , Brisbane, in 4K

The Tangalooma Wrecks are a cluster of ships scuttled by the Queensland Government between 1963 and 1984 to provide safe anchorage spot for recreational boat owners on the eastern side of Moreton Bay.

This collection of 15 deliberately sunk vessels forming an artificial reef and break-wall for small boats, is now a prime spot for snorkelling, diving, and kayaking, attracting diverse marine life like turtles, rays, sharks, and colourful fish. Strong currents can occur during tide changes.

Home to over 100 fish species, turtles, sharks, wobbegongs, dolphins, and dugongs, the formation originates from the Quandamooka language for ‘where fish gather’. Quandamooka is the name of the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea surrounding Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Mulgumpin (Moreton Island). Tangalooma Wrecks is a fitting name for the abundance of fish and wildlife that call the island home.

Several all-inclusive guided snorkelling tours of the Tangalooma Wrecks depart from Brisbane, or the fairly close-by Tangalooma Resort, so there can be surges of visitors at sheltered parts of the wrecks by late morning. This usually includes a cluster of participants wearing life jackets and pool noodles.

If you are comfortable in the ocean, and a reasonably capable swimmer, then the much less advertised option that you see in this episode may be by far the most favourable. There is a small car ferry from Brisbane that docks right on the beach behind the north edge of the wrecks. The passage takes about 90 minutes. Walking off this ferry, then 100 meters south down the beach, leaves a 170 meter swim out to the wrecks. Taking the first ferry should allow you to enjoy this spectacular diving spot in relative seclusion.


Here are some key moments:

1:45 – The ferry ride, and a bit about the Tangalooma Wrecks
2:15 – Brisbane harbour marine traffic
3:00 – It is a 90 minute fast ferry ride out to Moreton Island, and our dive site
3:10 – Arriving at our destination, unloading right on the beach
4:13 – Heading out to the wrecks, with a stingray
5:48 – A spectacular school of fish greats me as I arrive at the wrecks
7:25 – I poke my head into a dark hole in the wreck, right above a Spotted Wobbegong shark! Generally docile with humans, this shark is sometimes aggressive with them. Its defence mechanism is a bite, which can cause severe wounds due to the species' tendency to hold its bite for a long time. This would not be a good place to get grabbed and held under, so I move on.
8:58 – A beautiful parrot fish, followed by a nice short dive sequence
11:16 – A very large gear
13:15 – Dredge buckets
17:38 – A perfect channel to dive through, right into a school of fish. Had to do it again.
19:29 – A beautiful sequence, showing a good representation of this site
20:51 – Another large gear
22:51 – The rusty wrecks are interesting above water as well
31:58 – Diving into a school of fish
34:24 – Diving along the deeper side of a wreck
36:07 – One of the few times I dove into one of the wrecks. Too many variables here to safely enter deeper into these hulks without scuba, or support
37:57 – Diving along the side of a another wreck. Super fun diving.
40:52 – A close-up interaction with pelicans and assorted sea bird. This is 2 km down the beach, at the second Moreton Island ferry, that I would take back to Brisbane.
43:16 – Another kilometre further down the beach there is a ~2 km trail to a large sand dune. I had just enough time before my ferry departure to go check it out.
45:32 – The sand dune. I was under a time constraint not to miss my ferry departure, and walked this short trail pretty quickly. I put my fins and bag down at this turn-around spot for just a minute to enjoy the view. Reaching to pick up my fins, I just noticed in time that a small Hormurus Scorpion had crawled onto them! It would have been ironic to return from this adventure, several hours of ocean free diving, with... a scorpion sting!

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