Scuba Dive the S.S. Yongala Wreck on the Great Barrier Reef.

Do not book with them if you really want to go diving…

Came to Townsville solely for this Dive but the dive center canceled at 3pm the day before, because “only 12/20” spots were booked… they made no effort at all to find a solution (like going nonetheless and just charging a extra fee or whatever…

Unorganised and lied to

Booked this dive over a month in advance, called 2 weeks prior to ensure i was on the dive list, to which i was confirmed that i was. Was going to dive on a Wednesday and not until the Monday prior was I called and told that "for some reason the online system let me book a dive that didn't exist".. I then found out later in the week (by chance) that Adrenalin do Yongala dives every Wednesday and Saturday, however their smaller boat was under repairs and they had to get enough numbers to fill the big boat to justify the trip. Would have been good to know the actual reason, and also perhaps be alerted to the possiblity of that dive not going ahead so i didnt book an entire trip to Magnetic Island for it. They did quickly give my refund back for the dive, and offered the vague possiblity of another dive on Saturday, i had booked the whale watching with Andrenalin on the Saturday so couldn't go - surprise surprise the Whale watching was also cancelled the night before.

Spectacular wreck and marine life

I have now done twenty dives on this wreck all of which have been great. Some with no current others with a strong current. In my opinion this wreck is one of the best for marine life however when the current is on this dive is for experienced divers as it's easy to get yourself in trouble. Dive this site with a reputable dive company.

Terrible Logistics... Go with the Ayr site

Office is useless. Booked the tour through a broker. Called the morning before the Yongla Dive. They didn’t return several calls from myself and the broker until 4pm to tell me that the dive boat was full and the booking system used by the booking agency was inaccurate. They have indicated that this has been so for years, but they’ve never done anything about it. Office was only open 2-4pm during one of the busiest seasons of the year. By the time I got the call, I had booked a hotel and a car to specifically go to Townsville. Cost me money and a valuable dive day. At a minimum, they should work with the booking system to make sure it is either up to date or they don’t include them in the system. And how is it that they are only open for 2 hours on Dec 27th??

A tick off the bucket list and some!

Over Easter we dived the Yongala on a day trip from Alva Beach with a different dive operator, paying $250 for 2 dives per person (with our own gear) We enjoyed our dive and decided we would return again, after much research, we opted to go with Adrenaline, we have always wanted to do a liveaboard and are SO glad we finally did! ADRENALINE- completely over delivered on our expectations! To say it was an incredible experience is an understatement.. * 3 day/ 3 night on a liveaboard including accomodation, 10 dives ( 2 of which were night dives) 6 meals a day = $1000 per person - very good value! * diving incredible, untouched and unspoilt reefs * morning dive on the yongala - best experience, prime feeding time 👌 * fantastic operators, Paul (captain and owner) Over 30 years in the business, knowledge of area and dive sights is amazing! * Wonderful staff - Lazlo and Perry are fantastic dive masters, instructors - assisting you out of water where required, leading dives, pointing out marine life, knowing where to find them and a thorough emphasis on safety and diving briefs. Kym is an excellent cook with great taste in music! continental and cooked breakfasts, chicken and salads, green curry and spaghetti bolognaise, apple pie and ice cream were some of the meals, enjoyed by all.. We can’t wait to return and dive with adrenaline again! A must do experience with pinch me moments, highly recommend!

Excellent experience for a rusty diver

I had not been diving for a few years so booking a 3-day trip including a wreck was bot exhilarating and scary. Needless to say, Adrenalin Dive hit the mark on all account: professionalism, safety, food, knowledge of the reef, individual care. Despite what I would consider a relatively rough sea, Paul, Lazlo, Perry, and Kim were fantastic at all times of the trip. From boarding, to dive briefs, material outfitting, underwater guidance, biology of the species encountered, meals, everything was very organized and on-time for a group of 16 divers. Yes, the reef is far from Townsville but the experience I had was certainly better than on some of the 100s-pagenger boats leaving from more popular locations. And while I didn't not dive 10 times, the opportunity was there making each dive under $100 not counting the live-aboard amenisties and experience. So all in all, if you have only a few days, this is by far the best and cheapest way to dive both the reef and the Yongala. david

Highly recommended

Awesome daytrip to the S.S Yongala wreck. We highly recommend going with Adrenaline Snorkel and Dive if you want to discover this world class dive site. Though the sea was a bit choppy and there were medium current at the dive site we enjoyed every moment thanks to a very professional crew that offered five stars service during the day. Thanks again for this great day!

Fantastic dive and excellent service

Extremely professional crew who looked after me as a rusty scuba diver. Yongala was breathtaking, and though we didn't see any rays or sharks, visibility was excellent. Adrenalin's equipment was top-notch. The team went beyond the call of duty and when I forgot my wetsuit on board, they dropped it to the ferry terminal.

Excellent diving. Excellent crew.

The dive was brilliant with epic marine life. The crew were brilliant, very helpful and really entertaining! And my god they know how to do a good lemonade!

Diving Yongala

The crew was excellent. The surface water was choppy, but the staff did a great job follow up to make sure I was ok and safe. They did a great job of explaining the site, history, and wildlife.

Adrenaline Snorkel Dive And Crew Deliver An Incredible Scuba Adventure To The SS Yongala Wreck—Townsville, Australia

My friend and I were overjoyed by our adventure to SS Yongala wreck located in the Great Barrier Lagoon just over two hours by boat from Townsville, Australia in Northeast Queensland. Bright and early, the ship's crew (CAPT Mike, Gunston, Lazlo, and Ariela) were ready and waiting to take us to the SS Yongala Wreck from Townsville. The boat (Adrenaline), equipment, and crew were set and ready to welcome divers and adventurers aboard. We left promptly and returned promptly. The crew were highly experienced, safety conscious, professional, friendly, and helpful. We had two of the safest dives we have ever attended. We enjoyed the snacks, a great lunch, and the beautiful weather on the water. Bring a camera for great pictures or rent one on board. Be prepared to see breaching whales along the way and perhaps a few curious dolphins. It was a relatively calm day, but a few folks forgot to take medicine for seasickness. The crew were helpful and professional to minimize their discomfort. During lunch, we received a great briefing about the SS Yongala wreck. The history is fascinating, and Gunston helped us to appreciate our ability to see a bit of Australia's history. Both Lazlo and Gunston are incredible guides for the underwater experience. Their leadership and experience makes your underwater experience feel safer and more enjoyable. Ariela is always there to assist during buddy checks and to safely help you leave and return to the boat after each dive. I look forward to another dive with Adrenaline Snorkel Dive very soon.

PADI Open Water Certified by The Best Instructors at Adrenaline Snorkel Dive

I was recently PADI certified for open water scuba diving by some of the best instructors I've ever encountered at Adrenaline Snorkel Dive. After Completing the required online eCourse for the open water certification, I worked with Wayne and Lazlo at Adrenaline Snorkel Dive for both the pool skills demonstration part of the course and the open water skills tests. Their expertise and amazing instruction gave me the confidence to demonstrate the requisite skills to become an open water certified diver. Through their instruction and encouragement, my confidence grew during each dive. After being certified, I continued to work with the Adrenaline Snorkel Dive crew to apply my newly acquired skills. They offer guided tours to Keeper Reef and Lodestone Reef and the SS Yongala wreck. I highly recommend them as instructors and guides. The crew are professional, friendly, and wonderful to spend the day with on the Great Barrier Reef or the Great Barrier Lagoon. Ariela and Gunston were always available to lend a helping hand and to provide a safe scuba or snorkel experience for all aboard. CAPT Mike was a pleasure and guided us safely to and from Townsville, Australia to some of the best spots to see the Great Barrier Reef. I can't wait to book another scuba diving adventure with them.

Yongala was GREAT! Dived with Adrenaline

The life on the wreck is worth the effort to get there! (0700 start 1715 finish.) One of the best wrecks I have dived including the Thistlegorm in Egypt. Adrenaline staff were friendly but not overbearing. Boat was comfortable and spacious for a day boat. Food and drinks were provided regularly. Only minor issue was some cylinders were low on pressure but we swapped them out and got 200bar.

Great day!

I'm not a super experienced diver but the Yongala is by far the best site I've visited so far, on the day we went out the sea was glassy calm, visibility was good and the fish life was incredible. Amongst other things we saw giant grouper, sharks, turtles, sea snakes and a pod of humpback whales came to chill around the boat for a while just after we'd left the site. The crew is super helpful, rental equipment is of decent quality, and food/snacks are good. I went out with Adrenalin the day before I left Australia and it was a pretty sweet end to the trip.

Cancelled

Booked the Yongala dive long in advance. Received a text message late in the afternoon the day before the dive saying the dive had been postponed due to strong winds. Called them and got a refund since they could give no day to which the dive would be postponed. We went on another excursion on the ocean the day of the cancelled dive and the sea was fine for traveling by boat, barely any wind. Suspect they simply would not make enough profit and cancelled the trip. Fortunately I found a more serious Yongala operator in Aye (an hour south of Townsville), Yongala Dive, that I went with the day after the cancelled Adrenalin dive. Got a better price, shorter traveling time to the dive site (30 mins instead of almost 3h!) and had a very nice experience with them. Recommend you avoid Adrenalin since they apparently often cancel dives and seem unreliable, read the other reviews here on TA and see for yourself.

Yongala Dive: Simply The Best

I visit Townsville twice a year to dive the Outer Reef and the SS Yongala. I choose Adrenalin because they have over the years made me feel at home. Everyone, regardless of their diving experience can be assured that their needs are met. The skipper and crew are perfect hosts. As a Divemaster safety is a high priority and from the moment you step onto the boat and until you are back at the marina, Adrenaline make this their priority as well. If you are in Townsville book a dive with Adrenaline. You won't be disappointed. See you all in July.

Amazing!!!!

Can't say enough good things about the guys at Adrenalin. They did an amazing job making sure that my more advanced skill level could be put to use. The crew is so genuine and really care about making sure you have a great time. I did both the SS Yongala wreck and the Great Barrier Reef dive with Brad and Gunston and it was awesome. They were incredibly knowledgeable about the dive sites and surrounding area but made sure that everyone also had a great time. Would definitely dive with them again!

Professional and friendly crew, beautiful diving!

Coming from Cyprus, a small Mediterranean island, to Australia for scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef has been a long-time dream of mine. Selecting the Adrenaline Diving Center was the best choice I could have done. Through our email correspondence I could see that I was dealing with professionals that knew what they were doing. The email replies were prompt and informative with a friendly attitude. Booking the diving trip online via the Adrenaline website was an easy task, with immediate response and booking confirmation. The boat is a normal diving boat, not luxurious but with the basic necessities. Unfortunately, the weather was bad, cloudy and windy, making it hard for anyone to even stand on the boat. The crew though was very energetic, positive and attentive to everyone. They constantly passed around snacks, fruits, drinks etc. Their behavior and attitude made us feel welcomed and filled us with positive energy. I have to say that the crew team made the day so much better. The diving itself was magnificent. The reef is in good state and the corals are in good shape (not bleached). The leader of the diving showed us so many different marine organisms and explained to us the challenges that they have to deal with in order to protect the reef. The crew in general was very knowledgeable about the marine life of the reef and we had a half an hour "presentation/talk" between the dives regarding the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef. The Adrenaline diving center went even a step further for me. Due to the bad weather of those days, they had to cancelled their trip the next day to the Yongala wreck. I was very sad about this since it was my only chance to dive there. From discussing this with the crew, they were so kind and understood that this was a big thing for me. Therefore, they contacted another diving center, closer to the Yongala wreck, and booked me a place to go with them the next day. I appreciate this so much and i only wish I could have gone with this "dream team"! I am a diving instructor myself and i know how this industry works. That is why I appreciated everything that the crew has done for us. They are very professional and very friendly. I highly recommend them for your trip! Hopefully I will be able to dive with them again in the future :)

Fantastic dives with a great crew!

I am a fairly new diver with experience only in cold water in the US. I was planning a trip to the area to visit a friend and absolutely wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef. I contacted a few dive shops by email months in advance, and settled on Adrenaline because they were offering the experience I wanted for a reasonable price, and because of their years of experience. I feel like I got what I paid for, for sure. The boat was in great shape. It was a little tight due to all the passengers and gear, but not uncomfortable at all. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was good for meals and snacks at sea, and we were definitely fed enough and given plenty to drink to keep our energy and hydration up while diving. There was also sunscreen available for protection from the very harsh sun. The dive site was pristine and had excellent visibility with a variety of depths for different skill/confidence levels. The groups were small and manageable, 4 divers to 1 dive guide. The safety was the top concern of the guides, second seemed to be our comfort and enjoyment. I even went for a snorkel session between dives. It was the best snorkeling I've ever done. Both diving and snorkeling I saw marine animals and plant life I've never even dreamed of. It was an unforgettable experience that I am so grateful for. I will definitely book a Yongala Wreck dive with them on my next trip to Australia.

Very nice crew! We loved it !

My boyfriend and I booked with Adrenalin Snorkel Dive to go out to the Great Barrier Reef and the SS Yongala. The crew was sooooo nice, very attentive and welcoming . They informed us about each site before arriving, constantly passed around food to keep our hungry bellies full since it was a long day and served lunch in between dives. The boat was fully equipped and very spacious for a comfortable time. J, a very nice young man, was our dive master and was super helpful and entertaining. He assisted with our advance certification for the deep water and wreck dive. The Great Barrier Reef was an amazing site to see, truly beautiful in colors and diversity of life. One thing I would suggest is keeping watch of clumsy and beginner divers. Advising all before entering waters to be mindful and keep buoyancy to avoid damaging Reef. Two ladies from our group who came from Japan killing the reefs with their fins and extra regulator that kept hanging off. It's very sad to see corals that have been growing for years be broken and damaged in a matter of seconds due to clumsy inexperienced divers.

Magnificent Royal Blue Giant Clams

Adrenaline has a problem, it's based near one of the worlds best wreck dives (the Yongala) and close to some fairly untouched parts of the Great Barrier Reef. And it's also based in an area where the weather can be both unpredictable and the seas can be very rough. As such whether a trip goes or not can be problematic. They work with this and offer a "Yongala Guarantee" of 100% money back or another trip at no cost. Having said that, their vessel is comfortable and fairly dry, designed with rougher seas in mind. On the 2 hour trip to the reef there is morning tea, tea coffee, cold water and cordial. Lunch is very fresh you make deli type sandwiches, and on the trip back there is more food. The staff are very proficient and are very helpful, both on the phone and in person. We enjoyed two trips with them, both times to the Reef as the Yongala trip didn't happen. The diving was interesting, but a bit limited by needing sites that accommodated both snorkellers and divers. The Lodestone reef site had plenty to see, and we enjoyed long dives in warm clear waters, with those electric and velvet blue giant clams I've seen nowhere else in the world. Oh and to see the most, hire a dive guide.

Terrible business practices

We booked two people on the great barrier reef dive and were called at 2,30pm the day before the dive while we were on our way to Townsville and told it was canceled due to low numbers. We had booked 2 nights accommodation in Townsville and were going only for the dive. It would be nice if they gave their customers some of the same courtesy they expect and had a minimum 24 hour cancellation policy for themselves, as we were obviously committed to our accommodation at the time of cancellation. I would strongly recommend doing the yongala wreck out of ayr which is only a 30min boat ride instead of 2.5hr out of Townsville, and the great barrier reef out of cairns which is a lot more likely of going due to a lot of customers and a lot of different companies to choose from.

Laid back and enjoyable

I found the hole experience from start to finish a great experience. The staff from the shop and boat were all very helpful and answered all my questions with no hidden surprises like you get with some dive companies. I'd been told about the yongala wreck and its sealife and was not disappointed, I found the dive site better than the barrier reef itself. The staff on board were all very knowledgeable about the site and would answer any questions we had. A great day out, and one I would do again

Excelente inmersión en el Yongala

Reservamos una inmersión doble en el Yongala. El viaje es algo largo como de 3 horas pero vale la pena, es una de las mejores inmersiones que he hecho. Las corrientes eran fuertes por eso, por lo que no es una inmersión fácil. La inmersión es cara (como casi todas en la Barrera de Coral) y dado que el viaje es tan largo, obligatoriamente debes contratar dos, en este sentido no hay problema porque ya lo teníamos pensado así, pero la verdad que nos hubiera que fueran en sitios diferentes, ya que bajar dos veces seguidas al Yongala significa que vas a ver prácticamente lo mismo... La tripulación es excelente, nuestra guía Gemma fue realmente amable y súper atenta. Parece ser que debes pagar más si quieres ir con guía pero a nosotros no sé porque no nos lo cobraron, tenedlo en cuenta. En el viaje en barco incluyen la comida que básicamente son sandwiches y fruta. La verdad que es muy recomendable y si tuviera que repetir lo haría de nuevo con Adrenalin.