yongala dive

I had a great time diving the SS Yongala, the dive masters were excellent, very sociable, friendly and accommodating. The accommodation was good, its a basic place however we got a good nights sleep before an amazing morning of diving. The transport via boat to the dive site was excellent and fast, we were at the dive site in 35 mins! They even give you a lovely fruit/cake snack between dives. We took a guided tour and it seemed the best way to experience the boat, with guides who have a good knowledge of the best way around due to the strong currents. On arrival back to shore we we greeted with a bbq lunch while filling in our log books! Thoroughly recommend the dive is amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review, even though you did not manage to dive with us, this can sometimes cause frustrations.We don't hide the fact that we are located in a remote area and do clearly state this on our website and advise customers of the distance from town, most people are happy to get away from the hustle and bustle and experience some of Australia's remote beach side area's. Therefore because of our location:- We do generally offer 2 bus pick-up's as standard as obviously it is uneconomical for us to go into town to meet every single bus.- we don't have the best or cheapest internet service (using wireless NBN) ...therefore we do standardize access limits to 150 mb (not 10mb), usually we can increase this by requestI am sorry if you feel that our dive-master intern's did not give you the attention you require, they do also need to relax and unwind in the evenings after a long day at work . We are a small company and Dive Lodge and don't have staff on call 24 hours per day.We did, however, take the time to drop you into town with some other guests so you could have lunch and a browse at the shops and also organised a special 7:30 am pick up for you when you arrived at the bus stop without a prior booking. Had you booked this in advance we would have given you the information on our location. Generally, our guests are happy to chill out near the beach and love the atmosphere of the Dive Lodge and would much prefer the half hour boat journey. Obviously you would prefer a more lively area and I am sorry that this did not work out for you on this occasion.

It's so good to hear that you loved the 'Yongala Dive experience', including the Dive Lodge, boat and captain. Thank you for taking the time to post your review and letting us know.

It's fantastic to hear from an experienced diver who has dived in places like the Galapagos that you would rate the S.S.Yongala in your top three dives !!We are pleased that your overall experience was a good one - including the Dive Lodge and that you found the crew clear and informative and fun and they went out of their way to make a beach bonfire for you :)It can sometimes be choppy if it is windy so yes always best to take sea-sickness tablets.Thanks for posting your review and we hope to see you again one day too !

Thanks for your review, we are certainly offering a different experience from the large liveaboard dive boats in Cairns - just 12 passengers with a more laid back trip, its great to hear you appreciated this experience......and that our food was better than your dive club :)Your comments about our friendly and helpful crew are appreciated.

We make no apologies for acting within the law and the strict terms of our permit to dive the S.S.Yongala Wreck. Under our permit we are obliged to advise the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Dept of Environment & Resource Management (who control the access to the wreck) if anybody contravenes those terms, if we do not do so we can be held liable ourselves and face a fine.On Day 1 of your dive trip our DM saw both yourself and your partner within the superstructure of the wreck.......he took a video which clearly shows both of you under parts of the superstructure and one of you (with red fins) swimming along for some way under parts of the superstructure (so you would have been surrounded by it) and out the other side. He called and motioned for one of you to come out and at this stage this person did respond to his calls looking up to see part of the structure overhead. The other party was just coming out from under parts of the structure further along the wreck to which you agree in your comments.We clearly state in our Dive Brief that penetration is not allowed nor entry under any parts of the wreck or main structure and there is a fine should this happen. We had just had this happen 1 week before (actually swimming into the hold) so the staff were being super-cautious about explaining the 'no-go' areas.Whilst you did not enter the actual 'holds' below deck (which I am assuming is your definition of 'penetration') swimming through the superstructure is still classed as 'no go' areas as advised in the dive brief. This is the reason our Divemaster was quite upset and while you are quite right that he should not have raised his voice, for which i apologise, I quite understand him becoming upset and ensuring you were guided on the rest of your dives if you were not in agreement as to where you were allowed. I also believe he showed you the video when you returned to the Dive Centre.These are not 'our' conditions but those imposed by the government and conditions of our permit.........this is to protect the wreck for future generations and we can have this permit revoked and suffer a fine ourselves if we operate outside of these guidelines as stated previously. We were contacted by the GBRMPA some time last year as I understand it to advise how this case was progressing and I did telephone them today to ask what the final outcome was and to advise of your comments. I understand you were sent an 'Advisory' letter which is basically similar to a written warning. The main reason for non-prosecution was that our DM had returned to Italy and was not available to provide a testimony during the court case. Majority of our divers are happy with our services and understand these regulations and return repeatedly to dive with us, many are experienced divers. We also have a good reputation with other Dive Operator's. As I stated previously we make no apologies for upholding the law. I am glad that you thought the diving was stunning and marine life amazing and it is a shamethat your dives ended in this manner.

Thank you for posting your review - we are happy you enjoyed our Dive Lodge and found our staff helpful and insightful. As always, yes, as you stated the wreck site is spectacular with its marine life. Hopefully look forward to seeing you again one day.

Thanks so much for your comments. Yes QLD WH&S do have strict rules for safety, the wreck is protected by the Department of the Environment and the non-penetration is for safety and to ensure the wreck lasts for future generations.Fantastic to hear you enjoyed our services including the great dive, great wreck and great staff and thanks for posting your review.

We are so happy that you spent your birthday with us and the crew made you feel special :)I am sorry if you felt being hurried on the telephone was a little rude and will be sure to talk to the staff about this but we are pleased your overall experience was an excellent one and we look forward to seeing your friends.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. As you stated the abundance and size of marine life is amazing and its what keeps bringing divers back again and again. Sometimes it can be a little bumpy however that's the bonus of the short boat ride. Thanks once again for your comments.

We are so happy your loved your experience with us and had a wonderful day. Its great to hear the dive team were excellent, inspiring you with confidence and ensuring you got the best out of the 'Yongala Dive experience'. You even got to see manta ray's and sharks........it doesn't get much better than that (apart from the whales of course ) and yes 1 day is never enough :)Thank you for taking the time to post your review and recommending us and the wreck to all your friends.Thank you so much for your comments about your wonderful day

It is great when a customer enjoys their experience and doesn't feel that their day was too 'commercial', this is what we strive to achieve.We thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Thank you so much for your comments, we are happy that you were completely satisfied with your experience and the unforgettable diving which was a dream to you.We will pass on your thanks to all the staff and your comments on how professional and friendly they are.We look forward to seeing you back again one day :)

Thank you for taking the time to post your review and we are so happy that you had a great time during your 4 days of diving with us and had such a positive experience. We are very safety conscious and thorough with our briefings to ensure good dives as it is a deeper dive site. As you mentioned the current can pick up at certain times but you had 3 great days of diving with good conditions. We certainly look forward to seeing you again and possibly on a night dive - you guys were a pleasure to have. Thanks once again for your lovely comments.

Hi there, thanks for posting your review. Apologies but i did respond to some of your comments in your partners review below by mistake.