Divers: Peter, Vikki and Mark

Viz: 15 metres

Finding wrecks is never easy, even though this one has been found before it has not been dived very often so we need to re find it, to dive it. One hour later we have bounce divers on their way down to check out the site, the first dive turns up a nice bommie, however our second try gets a wreck to dive. The Ovalau was a passenger/car ferry which sank in late 1989, full of trucks and cars, we also find supplies for a hardware store. There are dozens of carpenters hammers, rolls of string, a welding machine complete with welding rods, coils of wire, toolboxes (still with padlocks on) etc. We start our peno at the bow drawbridge and swim up & over the trucks towards the stern. The wreck has turned completely turtle which makes everything inside upside down and hard to relate to as it should sit in the ship. She is 50 metres long and we have to weave our way through the maze of twisted metal and debris to find our way out. As we exit the wreck we rise to the top of the hull to find the twin props. Then swimming back along the ship we find all sorts of weird and wonderful bits and pieces on the seabed floor. We do 2 dives on this wreck as well because this is too good a dive to only do once.

Photos by Vikki Ryan