Yongala SCUBA

Wow!!! Is the only way to describe this adventure. The Yongala sank in 1911 and now lays on the ocean floor off the coast Alva Beach, where Yongala Dive is located. Not only is the dive itself amazing, the whole package is superb, designed by divers, for divers.

I arrived in Alva Beach at about 8pm after driving 4 hours from Mission Beach after work. (Make sure you have everything you will need for your stay in Alva as there is nowhere to purchase any supplies once you leave Ayr.) Access to the upstairs accommodation had been previously arranged and I found my way without any hassles. The accommodation is backpacker style, but very clean, recently renovated, neat and tidy. Kitchen facilities are also available so you can cook up a hearty meal to power you through the next day's diving. There is also a lounge room with a good selection of DVD's and a television help you relax before heading to bed.

After a great night's sleep I got up to breakfast, which is included in the night's accommodation. Once I finished by brekkie I went downstairs for a 7:30am start to the day's diving. The usual paperwork was required, everyone was sorted out with gear and we were given an in depth dive brief of what lay ahead. A short trip to the beach in the troop carrier and we boarded the "Yongala Express", a rigid inflatable that takes 30 minutes to get to the Yongala wreck. Woo hoo!!

Two dives on the Yongala wreck is most certainly not enough, you will definitely want to come back for more. This dive is very special. Lots of large pelagic fish at this time of year, as well as bull rays (mating too, what a bonus), seas snakes, the most beautiful coral gardens on the deck side and the hull, massive Queensland Grouper, anemone fish, Maori Wrasse by the dozen, cleaner wrasse, gigantic schools of metre long barracuda, green sea turtles, swarms of fusilia and stripeys, a gummy nurse shark, countless schools of small fish, everywhere I looked was an "oh wow!" moment.

An hour surface interval between the two dives was a great opportunity to keep up my sustenance with cake (more than 6 different types!), fresh fruit, tea and coffee and hot soup. Take it from me, this is not your average dive trip.

Another half hour boat trip back to the beach after two fabulous dives was topped off by a superb BBQ lunch where we all compared stories about our experiences diving the Yongala and our many other diving expeditions, exchanged a few phone numbers and planned my next trip to the Yongala wreck with Yongala Dive.

This was my first experience wreck diving and the second time I had completed such deep dives. At first I was a little nervous but the crew are highly experienced people (who know how lucky they are to be diving the Yongala everyday!) who put me at ease in seconds. All the crew were friendly and good for a laugh throughout the day. The hire gear provided by Yongala Dive to those requiring it is of an exceptional standard, very clean and reasonably new. It is the best I have seen in a long time.

As I said previously the accommodation was clean, neat and tidy, and at no point during my time with the Yongala Dive crew could I say I was hungry. At every stop throughout my experience there was ample food and I departed for the long drive home with a very full belly!!

My two dives on the Yongala wreck certainly won't be my last and I highly recommend undertaking the experience with the Yongala Dive crew. The short boat trip, the overnight accommodation, the food, the gear, the crew and most definitely the diving are all top class.