Yongala Dive

Yongala Dive is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort based at Alva Beach, near Ayr in North Queensland, offering the closest departure point to the SS Yongala wreck. The centre has operated since 2003, focusing on small-group guided diving with an emphasis on safety and a personalised experience over larger-scale operations.

Trips run six days a week aboard the Yongala Express, a purpose-built vessel that reaches the wreck in just over 30 minutes — one of the shorter transfer times available to the site, which allows more time in the water relative to time spent travelling.

As an Eco Certified tourism operator, Yongala Dive follows a set of environmentally focused practices across its operations, including measures to protect the wreck site from anchor damage and reduce its broader environmental footprint. These practices are worked into standard trip operations rather than offered as a separate add-on.

Activities

Diving the SS Yongala is the core activity at Yongala Dive, offered to certified divers, alongside snorkelling trips to the Outer Reef for non-divers. The centre also runs PADI Divemaster training from its Alva Beach base, combining classroom instruction with practical experience on and around the wreck.

Beyond the dive centre itself, the wider Alva Beach and Burdekin region offers fishing, kite surfing, birdwatching, wetlands walks, national park hiking and coastal lookouts as independent, area-based activities.

Staying Connected

Mobile reception is generally available across Alva Beach and the Ayr area. Guests staying at Alva Beach Tourist Park have access to complimentary Wi-Fi. Coverage is limited once dive trips are offshore.

We Think . . .

Yongala Dive is built around a single focus — efficient, small-group access to the SS Yongala — rather than a broader resort offering. Its short transfer time, experienced guides and structured safety standards make it a practical option for divers prioritising time on the wreck itself, whether for a single day trip or a Divemaster internship.

Alva Beach

Yongala Dive operates from Alva Beach, a small coastal village around 15 km from Ayr in Queensland’s Burdekin region, on the shores of the Coral Sea. Its position makes it the closest departure point to the SS Yongala of any operator.

The village itself has a quieter character than larger coastal towns nearby, with long beaches, wetlands, birdlife and steady sea breezes that also draw kite surfers to the area.

Queensland

The Burdekin region sits roughly 90 km south of Townsville, part of Queensland’s tropical east coast, with sugar cane country, wetlands and beaches backing onto the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Beyond the Yongala itself, the surrounding area includes Bowling Green Bay National Park, Mount Inkerman Lookout, Horseshoe Lagoon and a number of coastal fishing spots.

How to Get There

Yongala Dive is located at 36 Braby Street, Alva Beach, about 20 minutes from Ayr and 90 minutes south of Townsville by road.

The nearest airport is Townsville Airport (TSV), served by domestic flights from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian cities. From Townsville, visitors can hire a car or arrange a transfer to Alva Beach.

Divers joining the SS Yongala day trip check in at the dive shop by 7:30 am, with trips typically returning to Alva Beach by around 3:30 pm. Divers should bring their certification card, logbook, towel, a reusable water bottle, appropriate clothing and any required medical documentation.

Transfers from Ayr are available at 10:30 am 3:40 pm daily but must be pre-booked. Early transfers at 7:30am may also be arranged at a cost of AUD 25.

Yongala Dive does not operate its own accommodation, but partners with Alva Beach Tourist Park, located next to the dive shop within walking distance of both the beach and the centre.

The tourist park sits across five acres of tropical grounds shaded by coconut palms and hibiscus, a short walk from the beach, with shared access to a swimming pool, camp kitchen, laundry and Wi-Fi across all accommodation types, along with four-wheel-drive beach access and pet-friendly powered sites.

Powered and unpowered camping sites are set on grassy grounds, with a choice of concrete slab or grass positions, and access to the same communal facilities as the rest of the park, including the outdoor camp kitchen and a dump point.

The self-contained ensuite cabins suit couples, small families or dive groups, each with a queen bed and a set of bunk beds in an open-plan layout, along with a private bathroom, air conditioning, television and a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator and microwave. A private veranda adds outdoor space, and guests retain full use of the park’s pool and Wi-Fi.

The budget cabins offer simpler, shorter-stay accommodation, each with a double bed and bunk beds, air conditioning, television, a bar refrigerator, microwave and tea and coffee facilities, with guests sharing the park’s camp kitchen and communal amenities.

The two-bedroom deluxe cabins are aimed at families or larger groups, with a queen bedroom and a second bedroom with a double bed, an open-plan lounge, a fully equipped kitchen, a private bathroom, air conditioning and television, alongside the same shared park facilities.

The SS Yongala lies around 12 nautical miles off Alva Beach and is widely considered one of Australia’s leading wreck dives. The 109-metre passenger and cargo steamer sank in a cyclone in 1911 and now sits largely intact, having been colonised over more than a century by hard and soft corals, sponges and marine invertebrates that have turned the hull into an artificial reef.

Divers commonly encounter Queensland groupers, sea snakes, marble rays, eagle rays, turtles, giant trevally, barracuda, Spanish mackerel, batfish and a range of reef fish, with manta rays, whale sharks and humpback whales possible seasonal sightings. The wreck combines maritime history with an unusually dense concentration of marine life for a single site.

Best Time to Dive

• March – June — generally the clearest visibility, a period favoured for photography and general reef diving
• June – August — cooler water draws larger pelagic species, including groupers, Spanish mackerel, eagle rays and trevally, with humpback whales possible during their coastal migration
• September – February — warmer water and abundant tropical fish life, though visibility can vary with weather and rainfall

Diving Services

The core offering is the full-day SS Yongala trip for certified divers, including two guided dives with a dive professional who covers both the wreck’s history and the day’s conditions. Each trip includes:

• Two guided dives on the SS Yongala
• An approximately 30-minute boat transfer each way
• A qualified dive guide
• A historical briefing on the wreck
• Drinking water and light refreshments
• Tanks and weights

Minimum requirements are Open Water certification, at least six logged dives excluding training dives, and a minimum age of 15. Divers below the recommended experience level complete a supervised orientation dive before continuing to the wreck.

Transfers run aboard the Yongala Express, a 10-metre rigid inflatable boat with twin 250-horsepower engines, reaching the site in just over 30 minutes at around 25 knots. Trips are capped at 12 divers to keep the group size manageable.

For divers pursuing a professional pathway, the PADI Divemaster programme runs from the Alva Beach base, covering leadership, supervision and dive management skills through a combination of classroom work and practical experience on the Yongala. Two formats are offered: a 12-day course covering classroom sessions, watermanship, and confined-water training, or a 2–3-month internship providing extended operational experience with the dive team.

The beach launch and boarding ladder mean the operation is generally not suited to guests with significant mobility limitations; guests with accessibility questions are encouraged to contact the centre directly before booking.

As an Eco Certified operator, Yongala Dive uses biodegradable products where possible, works to reduce fuel use and litter, and takes steps to protect the wreck site from anchor damage, alongside providing information on the surrounding marine environment.

Dive safety measures include mandatory certification checks, minimum experience requirements, and medical disclosure before diving — with medical clearance required for divers on certain medications or with a history of decompression illness or lung overexpansion injury. Every trip includes pre-dive equipment checks, surface supervision and conservative dive planning.

SS Yongala, Coral Sea

Dive Sites

SS Yongala Wreck — Resting upright in around 30 metres of water, the wreck remains largely intact and heavily encrusted with coral growth and gorgonian sea fans. Different routes around the exterior take in the bow, stern, engine room openings, cargo holds and bridge area, with large schools of trevally, barracuda and batfish typically present alongside groupers, moray eels, rays, turtles and reef sharks. Humpback whale song is occasionally audible underwater during the winter months.

Outer Reef — A separate trip option covering coral gardens, bommies and shallow reef systems suited to both diving and snorkelling. Conditions here are generally calmer than at the wreck, with hard and soft corals, giant clams, turtles, reef fish and macro life, making it accessible to snorkellers and less experienced divers as well as certified divers looking for a contrast to the Yongala.

Pricing for Yongala Dive Alva Beach/Townsville Combo