Feeding the Fishes

Prior to learning how to scuba dive, the thought of seeing a ship underwater terrified me. It still kind of does, but when heard that there was an intentionally sunken destroyer off the coast of Mooloolaba, a mere 30 minute drive from Julie and Warren’s house, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it. The Ex-HMAS Brisbane was a destroyer that was constructed in Michigan in 1965 and made its way to Australia in 1967. It was used during the Vietnam War and then for other various things before it met its destiny to become a dive ship. They cut huge sections out of the ship to allow easier entrance into the ship. On the day of its sinking in 2005, hundreds of boats came out to the ocean to watch (Warren and Julie included!). It’s sinking took just two minutes! Since then, nature has taken over and it has become home to many fish and coral species.

This diving experience included two dives: the first to swim around the outside of the ship to get orientated and the second to go inside the ship. Though our guides said the water was much better than it had been recently, it was still pretty rough for me and I spent much of the time when not under the water feeding the fish. Despite the sickness, however, it was well worth it! Not having been able to take pictures at the Great Barrier Reef, I decided to bit the bullet and rented a GoPro for the day so I could have some memories to share afterward. Although the quality is not great in many of the photos, here is what I captured!