Mosman Bay
Mosman Bay doesn't seem to get the daytime attention the Coombe Reserve receives from divers, the area seems to have more activity during the evening from night divers searching for crabs and prawns. There are however quite a few motorboat wrecks scattered wide around Mosman Bay. The two most convenient entry points for diving the wrecks are the beach just south of the Swan Canoe Club and the stairs adjacent to Glyde St and 50 metres north of the Mosman Bay Restaurant, the stairs being the closest point for diving the motorboat 1 site.
Parking is available on Johnson Parade and is at least 50 metres from each entry point. The grassed area around the canoe club is a great to place to debrief with shade, picnic table and a barbecue.
The above map was created in December 2017 to give an idea of the wreck sites in relation to each other and nearby moorings and entry points. Generally the wrecks in Mosman Bay are spread too widely apart to try to connect multiple wrecks into one dive, the two most accessible wrecks are the Motorboat 1 and Motorboat 3 sites given their close proximity to the shore and nearby moorings. The Motorboat 2 and Motorboat 4 sites, if diving from the shore or moorings the wrecks can be very difficult to locate due to being generally small targets after very long swims on a compass bearing. The risk of boat traffic is also heighten around these wrecks due to their proximity to the red public use moorings and being out in more open water. With long swims at depth and increased boat traffic it is always advisable to dive these two sites from a boat or other watercraft. The motorboat 4 site however, is connected via a pole trail extending north from the Yacht wreck on the Coombe Deep Dive Trail for those that can carry sufficient air.
Wreck: Mosman Bay - Motorboat 1
Position: S 32° 00.385'
E 115° 46.366'
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Nearest Mooring: 041
wreck @ 95° 17 metres from mooring
Entry Point: 1 (stairs north of Restaurant)
Bearing from entry point to wreck: 123m @ 90°
Bearing from entry point to mooring(041) 105m@ 85°
Construction: Wooden
Dimensions: 5.2 x 2 metres
Depth: 12 metres
A large intact hull made of wood with a relatively straight stem and hard chines. The wreck has sunk and settled upside-down with the wheelhouse crushed underneath. The keel and propeller are exposed on the topside of the wreck. An small, easier site that is pretty easy to locate however with the small size of the wreck inspection only takes a few minutes.
Wreck: Mosman Bay - Motorboat 2, fibreglass
Position: S 32° 00.471'
E 115° 46.393'
Nearest Mooring: Red 27 Courtesy Mooring.
wreck @ 060° 39 metres from mooring
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Entry Point: 2 Canoe Club Beach
Bearing at entry point 2 to wreck 155m @ 83°
Bearing at entry point 2 to mooring 122m@ 90°
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Construction: Fibreglass
Dimensions: 5 x 2 metres
Depth: 18.6 metres
Very little remains of the fibreglass hull of this unidentified wreck, the fibreglass hull rises about 2 feet from the riverbed with a modern inboard engine to the centre of the small site. A sunken kayak lays amongst the wreckage.
Wreck: Mosman Bay - Motorboat 3.
Position: S 32° 00.516'
E 115° 46.320'
Nearest Mooring: 815
wreck @ 140° 16 metres from mooring
Entry Point: 2 Canoe Club Beach
Bearing at entry point 2 to wreck 73m @ 145°
earing at entry point 2 to mooring 60m@150°
Construction: Wood
Dimensions: 11.8 x 1.8 metres
Depth: 12 metres
A more substantial wreck in close to the Swan Canoe Club entry point. The wooden wreckage seems to have possibly been burnt to the waterline before sinking, it lays on its port side with a modern engine in the centre of the wreck and the propellor shaft exposed showing the stern towards the west. Given it's ease of accessibility and a surprising amount of marine life that inhabits this wreck it's very surprising it does not receive more visitation from local divers.
Wreck: Mosman Bay - Motorboat 4.
Position: S 32° 00.507'
E 115° 46.469'
Nearest Mooring: 692
wreck @ 043° 70 metres from mooring
Entry Point: 2
Bearing at entry point: 1 to wreck 280m@100°
(Although bearings are given it is not advisable as a shore dive given the distances involved, currents and boat traffic in the area.)
Construction: Wood
Dimensions: 9 x 2.8 metres
Depth: 15 metres
The most inaccessible site in Mosman Bay, the 9 metre wooden motorboat is located the furthest from any entry point and the lack of moorings nearby make it a difficult site to locate, it is best dived by boat. Given the boat traffic and currents it is not advisable to surface swim to the site. The distance to the nearest mooring is also technically beyond the 6 knot speed limit rule for a boat operating in proximity to moorings. For those that are prepared with adequate air the site is now connected to the Coombe Deep Wrecks trail by a pole trail heading north from the 19 metre deep Yacht site. This would however make the dive an almost 400 metre return swim at a minimum depth of 16 metres if starting at mooring 651.
Wreck: Mosman Bay - Dinghy.
Position: S 32° 00.593'
E 115° 46.341'
Nearest Mooring: 442
wreck @ 143° 30 metres from mooring
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Entry Point: 2 (Canoe Club Beach)
or follow the beach as far as possible south.
Bearing at entry point 2 to mooring 189m @165°
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Construction: Aluminium
Dimensions: 3.2 x 1.4 metres
Depth: 7 metres
A small tinny sunk in the shallows possibly a tender from a moored boat. The sunken dinghy is only about 15-20 metres off the beach and doesn't present the most interesting dive, a very small modern dinghy with very little attraction or interest as a dive site.