zCanon Collective Photography Double Dive on Ex-HMAS Brisbane

From AUD $165.00
  • Duration: 5 Hours
  • Location: Mooloolaba, QLD

Whether a novice or an expert, this day offers any camera enthusiast an opportunity to create fantastic photos and enhance their photographic ability. Join us for our Canon Collective date, where we bring in a Canon representative who can best help you get the most out of your underwater photography. 

Don't have a camera and/or an underwater housing? That's generally okay, as we and Canon provide underwater camera setups for these specific days. We do have limited availability though, so please let us know if these cameras are something you would like to take advantage of. At the end of the day, you can also keep the SD card, containing all of the photos you have taken on the day.

On your day, we begin with a pre-dive briefing at the Sunreef shop with a Canon representative, ensuring your camera settings will get you the most promising result. We then arrange any dive equipment that you need to hire, and if you have your own, you can set this up at this time. 

We'll then depart out to the Ex-HMAS Brisbane. Each diver will be given a thorough briefing about the dive as the boat traverses the calm waters of the Mooloolah River. Depending on the day, your photography focus may change. For instance, some days have better visibility than others. If there is less visibility, you may choose to focus more on macro photography. If the water is clearer, landscape shots may be an option. The day's weather, diving conditions, and recent animal sightings also impact what site we will choose for the day, as we try to give you the best result. Once we anchor the boat, the crew will help get all divers into the water. 

The dive will last for 50 minutes, or as soon as a diver or their buddy reaches 50 bar, whichever comes first. You will have 30 minute surface interval, and the Canon representative will also be diving on the trip, so you are welcome to ask any questions whilst on board the boat. 

After you finish your second dive, you'll return to the shop where there is a post-dive briefing and hot wedges and cold drinks ready for you. During this time, the Canon representative will instruct you on how to best get your desired result. Using Adobe Lightroom, we take a look at how to adjust particular settings to maximise each photo's potential. If you are diving with your own gear, the dive crew can also wash your gear for you. This will happen during the briefing, and then you can collect your drying, freshly washed gear before departing. Sunreef will also give you a souvenir, such as a t-shirt or a stubbie cooler, as a thank you for choosing us. 


The Ex-HMAS Brisbane dive site

Dive one the world's best wreck sites, the Ex-HMAS Brisbane, a decommissioned guided missile destroyer. Located just 2.9 nautical miles offshore which makes it an easy venture out and is available to dive all year round. 

Sunreef has exclusive use of the two midship moorings, making for two leisurely dives that allow divers to comfortably and safely visit the entire wreck.

Explore the outside of the wreck and encounter an abundance of local aquatic sea life that inhabits her. Discover the depths of her hull, enter the engine room or even visit the control room where her kill switches are still intact. 

The vessel now serves as a world-class artificial reef and diving site. She has attracted divers from all over the world. Divers from Open Water level, to Divemaster, Instructors, dive shop owners and ex-servicemen who served on the HMAS Brisbane all sing the praises of this great wreck dive; She seems to be in the perfect diving spot. Sitting bolt upright the Ex-HMAS Brisbane has 15 metres of water over her forward decks and 18 metres over her stern. Consistently good water clarity and minimal swell makes for great diving. Just one dive on the Ex-HMAS Brisbane, and you readily understand why Sunreef is privileged to have been issued a licence by the Environment Protection Agency of the Queensland Government to conduct dive trips on the former HMAS Brisbane. The dive is phenomenal. There is certainly a lot of ship to see. 

Just cruising around the outside, its sheer size makes it an awesome sight. Water temperatures range from 17C in winter to a summer high of 27C. Visibility averages around 15 metres but up to 20 metres or more is not uncommon. Environmental studies commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast and Queensland Museum confirms the diversity of marine life that has made the Brisbane home. 

Local inhabitants include a large bull & eagle rays, angler fish, lion fish, blennies, nudibranchs, sea hares, squid and a school of juvenile red emperor and snapper. Other visitors include a shovelled nose rays, greasy cod and eagle rays. An octopus has made a home in a pyrotechnic tube on the deck. A resident school of predatory yellow tailed kingfish now ‘buzz’ the schools of of bait fish that surround the Ex-HMAS Brisbane. Up to 10 huge Queensland grouper have been seen at one time off the bow of the ship. A turtle has taken up residency on the aft funnel and eagle rays cruise between the 2 funnels. There’s also a huge amount of soft corals to be seen and hard corals are really getting established as well.

History of the vessel

The vessel: Commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in 1967, the HMAS Brisbane was a 133 metre Charles F Adams Class DDG guided missile destroyer of approx 5000 tons. The HMAS Brisbane served Australia faithfully for 34 years, till she was decommissioned in 2001. She served in both the Vietnam and Gulf War and assisted on many humanitarian missions such as in Darwin in 1974, after cyclone Tracy.

Her new life: In January 2003, the Queensland Government agreed to accept the decommissioned HMAS Brisbane from the Commonwealth Government for sinking off the Sunshine Coast as an artificial reef and dive site.

The scuttling: After extensive and careful preparation, the ship was towed for its last journey to the Sunshine Coast. With the expertise of a crew who had extensive experience in scuttling ships for artificial reefs, explosives were carefully positioned in specially made wooden frames hard against the inside skin of the ship, below the waterline. On the 31st of July 2005, at a site 2.9 nautical miles east of Mudjumba Island off the Sunshine Coast, these explosives were detonated and in 2 minutes and 10 seconds, the former HMAS Brisbane was on the bottom in 28 metres of water.

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Reminder for divers:

Please note you will be required to fill out a Divers Statement after booking. This is to be filled out one  time only. If you answer "yes" to taking medication (other than contraception and malaria medication), having an injury or illness that may affect your ability to dive, you will need doctors clearance before diving with us. If you are pregnant/trying to become pregnant, you cannot dive. 

As with all dives, the night dive is subject to weather, and we will send out an email and text the day before at 3:30 pm to confirm the trip and its departure time. 

Please note if you have not dived in the last 2 years you will be required to complete a Scuba Review/Refresher course before you can participate in any diving activities.

These can be arranged on most days at set times provided we have at least 3 days notice. Please contact us on 07 5444 5656 for more information.

This is also in open water and we suggest that you look into seasickness medication to minimize the chance of it impacting your trip.