Meet the site
The Joseph H Scammell was a three-masted wooden clipper of about 1,410 tons, built in 1884 at Eatonville, New Brunswick, Canada, from Nova Scotian softwood at the very end of the era of large wooden sailing ships. Bound from New York to Melbourne with a general cargo valued at around £80,000 – tobacco, printing paper, sugar, kerosene, turpentine, medicines, clocks, organs, perambulators and hardware – she made her landfall in dirty weather on the night of 7 May 1891. Her master mistook the Torquay area lights for the approaches to Port Phillip and the ship struck the reef about 400 yards off Point Danger (then Point Angle). Everyone got ashore, but the ship broke up within a day and cargo washed along six kilometres of beach from Torquay to Bancoora, triggering a well-recorded bout of looting and a Customs stand-off with locals. The wreck was a founding event in Torquay's history and the town museum still displays salvaged pieces.
Underwater, little coherent structure survives of a softwood hull that broke up in a single day 130 years ago. The site is a reef dive with a wreck theme: divers and snorkellers on flat days find an anchor, iron knees and fastenings, ballast and concreted lumps of cargo scattered in sand-floored gutters between low sandstone reef ridges in 4–9 m. The reef itself, now part of the Point Danger Marine Sanctuary, carries mixed brown algae and kelp, ledges holding southern rock lobster and abalone, and the usual Surf Coast fish – wrasse, sweep, zebrafish, leatherjackets and the occasional weedy seadragon on the sand edges. It is a modest dive that is more about the history and the location than the artefacts, and it suits confident Open Water divers who can read surf and swim a few hundred metres on the surface. Relics are protected under the Heritage Act; look and photograph, do not lift.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Joseph H Scammell is recorded as Wreck in Surf Coast & Great Ocean Road. The listed access is shore or boat. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Joseph H Scammell suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Joseph H Scammell through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Southern rock lobster, black-lip abalone, blue-throat wrasse, sea sweep, zebrafish, leatherjackets, weedy seadragon (sand edges), Port Jackson sharks in winter, smooth rays
Location
Scattered remains of an 1891 wooden clipper on the reef off Point Danger, Torquay, between the Front Beach and Cosy Corner, in the Point Danger Marine Sanctuary.
Facilities nearby
Point Danger and Cosy Corner car parks, toilets at the Front Beach and Cosy Corner, cafes on the Esplanade; nearest air fills in Geelong or Queenscliff.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
torquayhistory.comvhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.auen.wikipedia.orgparks.vic.gov.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.