Maria Island Diving : Dive Maria Island : Tasmania Diving : Dive Operators Maria Island Tasmania
Diving Maria Island Tasmania
It’s a 15 minute boat ride
to the Troy D, located 4 kilometres south west of Maria Island
in the Mercury Passage. There is full access to every compartment
of the sunken barge, the Troy D, offering fascinating diving
opportunities to explore the engine room and other areas. Maria
Island has been recognised as having one of the highest marine
biodiversity counts in Australia which is why this location is
so ideal for an artificial reef. This coastline also boasts the
highly popular dive sites off Bicheno including Paradise Reef
with its plentiful sea whips and finger sponges as well as the
Golden Bommies, a must do deeper water dive.
Maria Island is a beautiful place to visit and
is rich in convict history and has some fantastic walks. A ferry
to the island leaves from Triabunna - phone the Triabunna Visitor
Information Centre for more information on +61 3 6257 4772. Marine
life includes forests of string kelp, seagrass beds, sandstone reefs and large schools of fish.
Dive
Tasmania Maria Island
One of Tasmania's favourite diving sites
is the Troy D, a 55 metre former Hopper Barge that was
scuttled off the north-west tip of Maria Island on Tasmania's
east coast and made into an artifical diving reef. Having been
scuttled in February 2007, the artificial reef now is home to
an abundant marine life. There are commercial operators
that run dives to
the Troy D on most weekends including Island Ocean Charters and
Go Dive Tasmania.
This part of the coastline
of Tasmania boasts the highly popular dive sites off Bicheno
including Paradise Reef with its plentiful sea whips and finger
sponges as well as the Golden Bommies; an interesting deeper dive.
A quick 20 minute boat ride north of Maria Island lies the
Ile De Phoques. This large, rocky monolith is home to one of
the best diving experiences
Tasmania has to offer. Numerous tunnels split the rock, providing
one of the best swim-through dives available. As if that wouldn't
be enough, resident Australian fur seals play with divers as they explore the rock's cavernous interior.
The Ile Des Phoques is an exposed rock between Maria and Schouten
Islands that is home to a large seal colony. Considered one of Tasmania’s most exciting dives,
the island has many caves that can be accessed in calm conditions and should only be dived
with an experienced guide. Isle de Phoque is managed under the National Parks and Reserves
Management Act. Contact the local Parks
and Wildlife Service office to obtain approval to dive.
