Unidive is headed back to one of South-East Queensland's best dive sites, the Ex-HMAS Brisbane! This trip is chartered for Saturday the 27th of March 2024 with Sunreef in Mooloolaba. We'll be meeting at the shed before heading up to Mooloolaba for an 11:00 a.m. check-in.

The ex-HMAS Brisbane was a 133m long destroyer in the Royal Australian Navy. After 34 years serving in both the Vietnam and Gulf war, the ship was decommissioned in 2001. Then in July 2005, the ship was sunk just off the Sunshine Coast as an artificial reef and dive site. The wreck has since been colonised by sponges, soft corals, and hard corals, while over 200 different species of fish have been sighted in the area.

We have 12 total spots including 6 spots for Open Water divers who will enjoy two guided dives with a Sunreef guide. The remaining 6 spots can be taken by Advanced Open Water or equivalent divers who have dived the HMAS before and are confident to self-guide in buddy pairs or groups.

The price for a double dive is $175 including two tanks (Air or Nitrox), but excluding gear hire. (if you need hire gear, please check out our loans webpage https://www.unidive.org/diving/loans/)

While not mandatory, we highly recommend Nitrox for this event. If you are not certified for Nitrox but wish to be, there may be an opportunity through Sunreef to add a nitrox certification course to the trip. This would be an additional private cost and will require you to complete the relevant study and exam prior to the weekend of the trip. To organise this, please contact Sunreef directly and well before the weekend of the trip, and let us know so that we can organise your nitrox tanks. Please contact us if you want more information.

We will carpool from the shed so please advise if you are prepared to drive, and if not, allow $10 for carpooling.

Because the HMAS Brisbane is a marine park, further conditions apply, so please read the waiver carefully!

The trip will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For those who have dived the wreck before and are diving unguided, you must be confident navigating the site, however, we will consider diver experience when assigning buddy pairs/groups. If you are signing up with a friend and wish to dive together, please let us know.

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 Sunreef 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 the Thursday night beforehand at 6:15 p.m. at the shed.

Please note each diver must:

• Be a current Unidive member, medically fit to dive, who passed the swimming test
• Have certification matching their ticket type (OW or Advanced OW+)
• Have completed at least 30 dives across 10 different sites for the EXP tickets and dived the HMAS Brisbane before.
• Have dived in the last 6 months
• Dive with an SMB/safety sausage, cutting device and whistle. (We don't hire these, but may have some available at the shed)
• Bring their own mask, snorkel, and fins as Unidive does not hire them
• Dive within their certification and capability
• Follow instructions given by the boat crew and dive supervisor
• Help out throughout the whole day

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