We are planning to go for a double dive with Gold Coast Dive Adventures to Wonder Reef / the Scottish Prince. These will be sites suitable for Open Water divers. These sites are just a 10 minutes boat trip from Runaway Bay Marina in the Gold Coast.

Wonder Reef is a one-of-a-kind dive site just off the Gold Coast coastline featuring nine buoyant structures acting like a giant kelp forest, reaching from the ocean floor up to 22 metres high. The creators of the reef have generated over 32,000 cubic metres of habitat for the incredible local marine life by transplanting coral fragments from local reefs – very, very carefully. The floating structures showcase some pelagic species of marine animals less common than what we have the chance to see at most dive sites on the ocean floor. When the site was first installed in 2021, only small fish visited the reef, but these fish have attracted larger fish, and now it common to see Queensland Grouper at the site, as well as tuna, wahoo and mackerel, and during the winter months, whales can be seen.

The innovative design and installation of the reef is a massive engineering achievement, with the foundations themselves weighing an impressive 72 tonnes each to eliminate the need for invasive piling and geopolymer concrete used to minimise the carbon footprint. This site is changing all the time, so don't miss the opportunity to witness this place in its early stages as the reef grows and evolves.

The Scottish Prince was an iron-hulled barque ship with three masts, built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1878. It was a passenger and cargo ship that operated between the UK and Australia. It ran aground at the end of a voyage from Glasgow to Brisbane in 1887, without loss of life, and now lies 800 metres off the Southport Spit. Now, what remains of the 64-metre ship is covered in soft corals and sponges, and is a haven for crayfish, shovelnose rays, catsharks and wobbegongs, as well as plenty of tropical fish.

The cost is $160 including two tanks, weights and snacks. Gear hire is not included (if you need hire gear, please check out our loans webpage https://www.unidive.org/diving/loans/). 

Notes on Payments:

If you wish to pay by Electronic Funds Transfer, please email treasurer@unidive.org for instructions. This event can also be paid for via our online payment system, or via EFTPOS on Thursday nights down at the shed.

All payments must be finalised at least 10 days before the event. If for any reason you need to withdraw from this dive, eligibility for a refund will be dependent on us filling your place on the trip, so please ensure you can definitely make the dive before signing up. If the event is oversubscribed, we will be maintaining a waiting list for members who miss out and will do our best to fill your spot if you need to cancel unexpectedly. If the dive is cancelled by the operator due to weather we will reschedule, and you will be eligible for a refund if you can't make the new date.

To iron out the details we will meet at the shed on Thursday night,  24th October, at 6:15 p.m.

If you have any questions about the trip, please email dive@unidive.org.