Meet the site
The Notre Dame d'Arvor was a French three-masted iron barque built in 1902 – one of the many French sailing ships that carried grain from South Australia in the early twentieth century, when French government bounties kept a large sailing fleet in service. On 20 March 1920, in a storm, she ran aground on the south-western side of Wardang Island. Efforts to refloat her failed, and she was subsequently destroyed by an accidental fire. The Department for Environment and Water records the remains in about 4 m, some 150 m from the rocks. The Marine Life Society notes that few visible remains survive, but that interesting items lie at snorkelling depth, some exposed at low water near the rocks. What is left is a low field of iron plating, frames and fittings, burnt and broken, colonised by weed and encrusting life and patrolled by sweep, old wives, leatherjackets and small reef fish. The wreck's story – a proud French windjammer lost and then burnt – makes it one of the more poignant sites on the Wardang Island Maritime Heritage Trail, and its remains were long regarded as a warning to later mariners about the island's reefs. As a dive it is shallow and modest, best treated as a snorkel or as part of a multi-wreck day with the nearby Investigator. It suits snorkellers and beginner divers on calm days. Like all the Wardang wrecks, it is protected: fire-blackened fittings and fragments may look like debris, but they are part of the heritage record and must be left in place. Photographs and sightings of anything unusual can be reported to Heritage SA, which monitors the trail sites.
What you might see
Sweep, old wives, leatherjackets, magpie perch, small reef fish, weed and encrusting growth
Location
French three-masted barque that ran aground on the south-western side of Wardang Island in 1920 and was later destroyed by fire; remains lie in about 4 m roughly 150 m from the rocks.
Facilities nearby
Port Victoria ramp, kiosk with air fills.
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
environment.sa.gov.aumarinelife.org.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.