The new world-class ex-HMAS Tobruk dive site will be ready for divers to explore on 25 February 2019.
Scuttled just off the coast of Bundaberg this 127m heavy-lift former navy ship is now home to a thriving and developing underwater ecosystem. With tours departing from Bundaberg, dive will have access to over a thousand species of fish, see effervescent coral weave it’s way through the corridors and quarters sailors once called home and explore an untouched new diving destination.
The international dive market is a lucrative one, recording longer-than-average stays and large spends in the communities they visit, and Bundaberg is just beginning to access this market through the work of the Southern Great Barrier Reef collective. Now with the addition of the world’s newest wreck dive, the region is looking forward to welcoming more divers to our region to explore both the ex-HMAS Tobruk and the world’s greatest dive, the Great Barrier Reef.
Tours to Tobruk will commence shortly out of Bundaberg by Tobruk Dive Experience, part of the Lady Musgrave Experience group. The operators is extremely well placed to offer some of the best diving experiences in the nation, with a long track records of delivering high quality diving experiences in the waters off Bundaberg and the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
Packages departing Bundaberg will be offered that incorporate multiple dives on the ex-HMAS Tobruk and the Southern Great Barrier Reef on the largest and fastest vessel heading out to the wreck dive site, with only an hour from departure to arrival at the site. Every day trip will include a double dive down to the wreck. Fully equipped to handle 24 divers at any one time, the ship includes full catering and warm showers.
The Experience will also offer heavily subsidised day-trips for friends and family accompanying divers, as well as incentives for large groups and specialty Wreck dive courses.
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said hundreds of people were already lined-up to explore the new dive site.
“The former Royal Australian Navy ship is about to become a major tourist drawcard for the Wide Bay region,” Ms Enoch said.
“The wreck is expected to generate about $1.7 million for the local economy annually and support between 20 and 30 jobs in the region.
“Following the scuttling last year, the ship has been transformed into a magnificent marine ecosystem, providing homes and shelter for hundreds of species of fish, including grouper, trevally and wrasse along with molluscs, hard corals and various species of ray.”
Since the scuttling, preparation work has been completed to cut 10 additional holes into the ship, to help provide natural light and improve access for divers, and some areas were sealed off for safety reasons.
Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Jack Dempsey said the waters lapping the shores of the region are producing opportunities to create a wealth of visitor experiences.
“The availability of the ex-HMAS Tobruk as a wreck-dive experience supports other attractions including our proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the iconic Mon Repos Turtle Rookery,” Mayor Dempsey said.
“It is clear that ex-HMAS Tobruk presents as a unique and extremely attractive dive site and brings with it possibilities to market our region to the world.”
“The dive site will be a major drawcard for national and international visitors to the region who want to witness an ocean wonderland up close,” she said.
To book a dive, take a virtual tour of the vessel, or for more information, visit: https://www.bundabergregion.org/play/tobruk
