Marina Star

Meet the site

The Marina Star is a fishing trawler that sank in 2000 and now lies in about 60 m roughly a kilometre east of Point Perpendicular, off the northern entrance to Jervis Bay. According to the South Coast Register's survey of local shipwrecks, it has become a popular site with experienced divers, and navigational and other instruments are still visible inside the hull.

Beyond that, published detail is scarce: the main dive-site references for Jervis Bay do not describe the wreck's orientation or condition, and exact marks are not in the public domain. Divers should expect a relatively intact modern steel trawler that attracts schooling fish and pelagics in the clear water outside the bay, with encrusting sponges and sea whips colonising the structure over two decades.

At around 60 m this is a technical dive only. It requires trimix to manage narcosis and oxygen toxicity, a substantial decompression plan with travel and decompression gases, and a support boat that can follow divers who drift during ascent. Penetration of the hull should only be attempted by divers with overhead-environment training, because trawler interiors contain entanglement hazards such as cables and nets. The site also lies close to the Beecroft Weapons Range sea area, which can be closed during firing. It is included here for completeness as one of the few deep wrecks in the region, but confidence in the details is low and the site should be verified with local technical divers. Deep sites off the bay entrance also carry a long evacuation time to the Sydney chamber, which should be factored into any decompression plan.

What you might see

Schooling fish, pelagics, sponges and sea whips on the hull (not documented in detail)

Location

Fishing trawler wreck lying in about 60 m roughly 1 km east of Point Perpendicular; a deep technical dive.

Facilities nearby

Departure from Huskisson or Callala Bay.