The Moreton Island wrecks: how to snorkel Tangalooma

Moreton Island snorkeling starts with a place that is not a natural reef. The wrecks are a cluster of ships scuttled by the Queensland Government between 1963 and 1984, and they lie just north of the Tangalooma resort.² The resort counts a total of 15 vessels, sunk in groups of five: in 1963, in the 1970s and in the 1980s.¹ Visit Brisbane tells it differently, describing a group of 15 ships sunk in 1963, so treat any single date as approximate and the number 15 as the figure the sources share.⁸

Over the years the hulls have become a habitat. The resort says coral is forming in and around the wrecks, a haven for over 100 species of fish and sometimes dolphins, wobbegongs and dugongs.³ Another resort page raises the figures to over 200 species of fish and 130 species of coral, plus 3 species of marine turtle.⁹ The pages are the resort's own and they do not agree, so read the counts as a sign of abundance and not as a census.

The place is also a public one. The operator of the Micat ferry says the wrecks are a public attraction and need no booking, and that they lie about 200 m off the beach.^10,11 The resort adds that they sit outside its property, a 15-20 minute walk from central Tangalooma.¹² That combination, free to visit and close to the sand, is why they are crowded with swimmers, kayaks and boats.

The resort's own guided tour is the benchmark for what a boat snorkel looks like. It runs 90 minutes in total, which includes a safety briefing and the boat ride from the beach to the wrecks, with about 30-35 minutes in the water.⁵ The minimum age is 6 years.⁶ Equipment is supplied: wetsuits, fins, mask, snorkel, a life jacket if required, pool noodles and prescription masks.²⁵

Beginners are catered for. The resort offers a 30-minute intro to snorkeling that comes before the tour, designed for beginners, people who cannot swim and anyone who might feel anxious in the water.⁷ It cannot be booked alone, only with a wrecks snorkel tour. That matters for families, because open water is a poor classroom for a first mask.

Confident swimmers can ask for more. A VIP version doubles the standard time in the water, with two sessions of about 30 minutes, and it is for confident snorkelers only.^21,26 Its minimum age is 13, and it is not suitable for children 12 and under.^22,26 Our own day trip has its own guided format, described below, and it is worth comparing the time in the water before you pick.

The wrecks sit there all year, but the air temperature changes. The resort puts day temperatures at 22-30 °C in summer and 12-22 °C in winter.²⁹ The climate station at Cape Moreton Lighthouse, 19.1 km away, gives an average daily high of 27.7 °C in January and 19.7 °C in July.^30,30 That station sits at the island's northern tip and is not Tangalooma's own weather.

Rain is the other variable. The same station counts 7 days with at least 2.5 mm of precipitation in February and 3 days in September, with 120 mm in February against 37 mm in September.^30,30 We could not find an official source for sea temperatures at the wrecks, so we give none, and we suggest you check with your operator closer to the date. Air temperature still matters in the boat and on the beach, where a wet swimsuit and a breeze can feel cold in July.

Light helps as well. The resort says the best photos of the wrecks are taken at low tide and at sunset.¹⁶ Plan your photographs around the tide and the evening light, and fit your swim in between. A resort day that includes the dolphin feeding returns from the island at approximately 7:00pm in winter and 8:00pm in summer, which is the way to be near the hulls at sunset.