Yongala Wreck & Coral Sea Expedition TSV-CNS
2025 Departure dates: 13 March
2026 Departure dates: 12 March
7 Nights – 29 Dives. This expedition combines adventure diving: SS Yongala Wreck; dramatic vertical walls of Holmes and Flinders Reef. Dive back in time and into history.
7 Night Yongala Wreck & Coral Sea Expedition featuring:
- Wheeler Reef – Explore this pristine platform reef with white sands and spectacular coral gardens, schooling fish, sharks, turtles and rays.
- MOUA (Museum of Underwater Art) – Dive Australia’s only underwater museum.
- SS Yongala – Australia’s largest, most intact historic shipwreck which sank in 1911, resting 14-28m below the surface. Claimed to be one of the worlds ‘top ten’ wrecks, the Yongala is renowned for its incredible diversity and abundance of marine life. Giant Queensland groupers, sea snakes, shovel-nosed rays and huge schools of fish abound at the Yongala.
- Flinders Reef – Spectacular walls with vertical drops in excess of 300m (1000ft) and 40m (120ft +) visibility. Bommies and reefs are smothered with both soft and hard corals at dive sites ‘Trigger Happy and ‘ Fan Fair’. Huge soft coral trees, fans and sea whips decorate ‘Cod Wall’ where the ancient Gigantus Gorgonia fan spans over 5 meters. Sharks tuna and barracuda patrol the reef slopes drop offs, and fish school around the edges of the reefs where the currents diverge.
- Holmes Reef – Explore the vast caves canyons and swim throughs connecting the abyssal drop off to the reef top at ‘Amazing’. Equally amazing, is to circumnavigate ‘Nonki Bommie’ adorned with huge brightly coloured soft corals, sea fans, critters and schooling fish.
Get Spoilt
Spoilsport is Australia’s most awarded liveaboard.
Enjoy sumptuous cuisine and a superb combination of diver conveniences, space & stability.
Weather
Spoilsport’s favourite dive locations will be selected should weather force an itinerary change.
Wheeler Reef
A popular dive site located about 100km from Townsville. With an average visibility of 30m plus and dive site depths ranging from 2m to 30m, perfect dive profiles and long bottom times are easily achievable. Wheeler is rated as one of the best night dives on the reef, so enjoy.
Yongala Wreck
This world class shipwreck is one of the key subjects in Sir David Attenborough’s documentary on the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. Recognised as one of world’s best historic wreck dive sites, this 111m wreck lies on its starboard side in 30m of water. Sunk in a cyclone on 23 March 1911, she is now home to a spectacular concentration of marine life.
Flinders Reef/Flinders Cay
Scan spectacular walls that drop 300m (1000ft) with visibility averaging 40m+ (120ft). Descend to gorgonian fans up to 5m wide (the Gigantus Gorgonus) and huge soft coral trees. Mingle with patrolling sharks, tuna and barracuda.
Holmes Reef
A twin reef system about 240km east of Cairns, Holmes Reef offers adventurous divers a range of caves, swim-throughs and deep fissures to explore. Go deep to explore the dozens of caves festooned with soft corals, or stay higher up to play with the fish. Sites we will visit: Nonki Bommie, Amazing and South Holmes.
Dive Site Guarantee!
Spoilsport’s outstanding stability minimizes disruption to your itinerary and your scuba diving experience. If weather forces an itinerary change we divert to the best, ‘safe, accessible sites’ to ensure you get the best scuba diving available. If weather is not suitable for wreck expedition will divert to reef. The Coral Sea may not be accessible in strong winds.
All itinerary details are subject to change, specific marine life cannot be guaranteed.
Expedition prices, per person in Australian dollars.
| Yongala Wreck & Coral Sea Expedition - 7 Night Townsville to Cairns (April 2024 - March 2025) | |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Price |
| Premium | $6813 |
| Standard | $6271 |
| Club | $5496 |
| Budget | $4704 |
Environmental Management Fee $8.00/day
| Yongala Wreck & Coral Sea Expedition - 7 Night Townsville to Cairns (April 2025 - March 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Prices |
| Premium | $7154 |
| Standard | $6585 |
| Club | $5770 |
| Budget | $4939 |
Environmental Management Fee $8.00/day
Rates include:
- Accommodation in twin/double cabins
- Delicious meals & snacks, wine and soft drink are included with the evening meal
- Tanks, air fills and weight belt
- Daily cabin service
- Reef ecology programme
- Dive computer workshop
Please note that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority requires us to collect an Environmental Management Charge of $8.00 per day spent on the Great Barrier Reef. This amount will be added to your bar bill at the end of your expedition.
Click on the links here for extras such as dive courses, photo services and gear hire, plus discounts available.
Premium – queen or double bed, private bathroom, ocean views.
Standard – twin beds, private bathroom, ocean views.
Club – twin bunk beds, private bathroom, no ocean view.
Budget – twin bunk beds, share bathroom, no ocean view.
Itinerary
Sample itinerary, subject to change based on conditions.
Itinerary (Townsville to Cairns – 29 dives)
Please note: Expedition boarding in Townsville & disembarking in Cairns, (commercial flight to Townsville not included and to be arranged by yourself).
Thursday:
- Check-in 5:30 pm, 6 pm Departure on Spoilsport at Breakwater Marina, Townsville.
Please note that dinner is not provided on the first evening so you may wish to eat before boarding. - Enjoy a glass of champagne and light snacks while your Trip Director provides a full briefing.
- Time to organise any rental equipment and put your dive gear together on the dive deck.
Friday, Wheeler Reef, SS Yongala Wreck: (4 dives + night dive)
This is a sample of a ‘typical day’, however exact times may vary to optimise the prevailing conditions on the day.
- 6:30 am: Wake up call, light breakfast available in dining room
- 7:00 am: Dive brief & diving commences
- 9:00 am: Full cooked breakfast
- 10:30 am: Dive brief & diving. “Open decks” accommodate 1-2 dives either am or pm
- 2:00 pm: Lunch
- 3:30 pm: Dive brief & diving
- 4:30 pm: Afternoon tea
- 6:30 pm: Night dive brief & dive
- 8:00 pm: Dinner
Saturday, SS Yongala: (4 dives + night dive)
- As above.
- 7am to 2pm ‘Open Deck’ at SS Yongala (3 Dives)
- Afternoon and night spent at ‘Old Reef’ & SS Gothenburg
Sunday – Tuesday Flinders Reef (4dives + night dive)
- Cod Wall, Geronimo’s, Watanabe, Rock Arch, Fan Fair, Trigger Happy
- As above
Wednesday, Holmes Reef, Coral Sea: (4dives)
- As above (no night dive), exit last dive 5pm
- As the sun sets, we pour the champagne as we ready for an Aussie BBQ party night. Don’t forget to wear your loudest tropical shirt or dress and sing along to music played by our talented crew
- Spoilsport cruises overnight to Cairns
Thursday:
- 7:00 am: Light breakfast
- 8:00 am: Disembark and courtesy transfer to Cairns inner city hotels, the airport or our office where we can store your luggage until 5pm if you have a later flight
Important:
- We recommend that you allow 24 hours between your last dive and your onward flight (all diving is finished by 5pm Wednesday)
