Adelaide Adventure Charter

Dive South Australia's premiere dive site: the ex-HMAS Hobart

Scuba Diving on the Hobart - information for scuba divers

About our dive charters

Our dive boat Alladin is permanently moored at Marina St. Vincent for easy access to the ex-HMAS Hobart (plus we also run regular dives to other Fleurieu scuba diving sites including Rapid Bay jetty). Custom-built as a dive boat, Alladin is 30ft long and surveyed for 12 divers + crew. It is fast, stable and comfortable, with ample room for gearing up, storage of scuba gear and moving about.

Entry and exit is a breeze - you can even get back on board with your fins still on! And, most importantly, we'll provide you with a bbq between double dives, as well as free water and soft drinks.

The only thing we do ask is that when you are diving the ex HMAS Hobart is that you please be on time. We plan all our scuba dives for slack tide and while we do allow plenty of time so you are not rushed, we can't wait for stragglers.

As well as the exHMAS Hobart, we run regular dive charters to the regions other diving attractions including Rapid Bay Jetty, famous for frequent sightings of the rare Leafy Seadragon, and Rapid Head where seals regularly come in to play with scuba divers and snorkellers. There is also the wreck of the AV Ulonga, which sitting at 40m provides a more challenging site for experienced scuba divers.

Recommendations & requirements

While the ex-HMAS Hobart has been specially prepared as a dive site and is relatively safe, as with any dive, hazards still exist. As well as the hazards that can be present on any wreck dive the main hazard that exists on the Hobart is the potential for strong currents due to tidal flow. We time all our e-HMAS Hobart dives for periods of least current, ie at slack on either high or low tide, but some current is usually still present at the start and end of double dives. The current can come up quickly, so we recommend you stay close to the ship, and make use of the many provided lines for ascent, descent and navigating around the ship. We ask that all divers carry a safety sausage/SMB, so, if you are swept off the wreck - DON'T PANIC! Ascend and perform your safety stop and inflate your safety sausage/SMB and we will come and get you once others divers are safely aboard.

Visibility can be poor at certain times of the year, but this needn't adversely affect your dive. In some areas inside the wreck it is becoming very silty so use good buoyancy control. Although the Hobart is a relatively easy wreck to penetrate, we still recommend that only experienced divers penetrate the wreck. As well as the silt, as time goes by more and more of the internal structure is becoming unstable and more care is needed navigating the interior. A final hazard particular to this site that divers wishing to penetrate should be aware of is that many of the access holes have quite sharp edges on account of the cutting charges that were used to blow out the plates and sink the ship.

We strongly recommend that open water and in fact any less experienced divers make use of a Divemaster at least as a guide around the ship. Or why not take the next step and explore the Hobart as a Deep or Wreck Adventure Dive which can be contributed toward your Advanced Open Water rating?

The ex-HMAS Hobart was sunk by the SA government tourism commission and is now managed by the Fleurieu Reef Management Committee (FRMC) under the authority of the Yankalilla district council. It is a requirement that all divers visiting the site fill in a liability release form.The ex HMAS Hobart is protected by the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981 and the Harbours and Navigation Act 1993. Further details are contained in the Code of Practice, but the main point scuba divers should be aware of is that fishing of all kinds is prohibited on the wreck, and it is also prohibited to damage or remove anything from the wreck. Only qualified scuba divers over the age of 18 are permitted to visit the site, although divers aged between 16 and 18 are permitted with parental consent, providing they have performed at least 25 open water dives (not including training dives) including at least two to a depth of 18m.

The dive site

The ex-HMAS Hobart lies in approximately 30m of water with the bow facing toward the land. The decks lie at between 15 and 22m depth, with the guns and bridge in around 15m and the top of the stacks in 5 to 7m. The nature of the wreck, with it's many deck levels, lends itself to multilevel diving which maximises your non-decompression dive time. We highly recommend the use of dive computers and/or multi-level dive planning to take advantage of this fact, and offer hire gear with computers included for those that require them - please ask when making your booking or hiring gear.

A number of mooring lines are attached to the ship and can be used for decsent and ascent. Wherever possible we use the moorings that are attached either to the forward or aft stack so that you can perform a multi-level dive, ending with your safety stop on top of the relevant stack. There is also a line running between the tops of the two stacks. Your coxswain or Divemaster will let you know where on the ship your descent/ascent line is attached so you can orientate yourself on descent and return to it at the end of your dive. We will also run a swim line from the rear of the boat to the mooring.

The exHMAS Hobart is 133m in length and over 14m wide. This, combined with the fact that it covers many levels vertically, makes it a large and complex dive site. However, it is not difficult to navigate if you take note of some of the disctinctive features shown below. In particular, the stacks, guns, missile director, missile magazine and bridge are useful landmarks for orientation.

Scuba divers wishing to penetrate the wreck should be suitably qualified and prepared and carry all necessary equipment including two light sources. We recommend that scuba divers planning to penetrate the wreck first perform at least one orientation dive, or enlist the aid of an experienced guide or divemaster. Be aware of the possible hazards including silt, unstable structures and entaglement. In particular to this site, many of the access holes have very sharp edges.

We ask that all scuba divers perform only non-decompression dives, unless by prior arrangement, and return to the boat with at least 50 bar of air remaining after performing a safety stop. If diving with a guide or divemaster, please indicate when you have 100 bar remaining, or when you have used 1/3 your air on penetration dives. We recommend you restrict you dive time to a maximum of 45 minutes as this will allow you to make the most of slack tide and have two dives with minimal current and a decent surface interval. On days of strong tidal flow we may advise a shorter dive time.