Located of Tunkanilla Beach, Fleuireu Peninsula, South Australia, the MV Victoria ran aground in October 1934. Not able to be re-floated, the wreck was salvaged over more than four months. The remains of the Victoria lie in shallow water in a high energy area.
Diving this site ideally needs a number of right conditions including low Northerly winds, low swells rolling in from the South and minimal tide movement to assist in limiting sand movement which near kills visibility.
On the right conditions, this is an interesting sight to see. Running near parallel to the coast there is good swimming to be had as the wreck is spread out over a couple of hundred metres taking into account that it was a large vessel over 100 metres long.
Please take caution when diving this wreck-
Note: It can also be snorkeled in the right conditions though there is a reported under-toe for this beach – so again, a dodge tide is the preferred time.
Very mournful and haunting atmosphere. Looks like the big surge is present even on calm day! It brings back memories for me, of diving Tunkalilla, Newland Head and other locations along the southern Fleurieu from a state government ship in 1993, and it looked a lot like that scenery in your video, as did much of the the south coast of KI when you get further out than the coastal cliff reef strip – lots of mobile sand which prevents much settling on the bottom, strong surge, and there was also 1 – 2m swell at the time too, on most dives (some days 3 – 4m, and we didn’t have to dive that). Nobby Islet was the worst for surge – divers moved up to 2+m back and forth for the whole dive and some threw up into their regulators, myself included. No occ health and safety concerns back then for workers!
Thanks for your sharing.