Meet the site
The Myola is one of a string of small coastal colliers lost between Newcastle and Sydney in the early twentieth century, and today is the clearest-water deep wreck on the northern side of the city. Built in 1913 by Smith's Dock at Middlesbrough, she was a 54 m steamer of about 675 tons cargo capacity with a 150 hp triple-expansion engine, owned by the Wallarah Coal Company. On 2 April 1919, southbound and loaded, she met a south-east gale; water poured through the ventilators, she lost stability and sank quickly. Eleven of fifteen crew survived; the cook, a fireman and two able seamen were lost. The wreck was found in 1994, seventy-five years later. She lies on her port side in 48–49 m, deeper at the eastern end, with the boilers and engine rising a couple of metres above the sand as the sounder target. The hull forward of the boilers has collapsed, but the stern has broken away and sits upright, and the propeller shows how she died: one blade almost gone and another bent where the still-turning engine drove it into rock as she went down. Two large boilers, the engine, condenser, generator, anchors, chain and bollards are all identifiable; sadly the brass fittings and portholes were stripped by souvenir hunters through the late 1990s. The Myola's distance from shore gives it the best visibility of any Sydney wreck, commonly 15–20 m and on exceptional days 35 m, and it is often bathed in blue East Australian Current water. Fish life includes bullseyes, nannygai and kingfish, and sharks are regularly noted on the decompression stops. It suits experienced decompression divers with a competent boat crew, and it is a good progression from the Long Reef group for teams wanting a natural wreck with a real story rather than a scuttled hull.
What you might see
Bullseyes, nannygai, kingfish, jewfish, wobbegongs, sharks on ascent (whalers), sponges and jewel anemones on the boilers
Location
Collier that foundered in a south-east gale on 2 April 1919 with the loss of four crew; lies on its port side about 6 km off North Curl Curl and 5 km south of Long Reef in 48–50 m.
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
michaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infosydneydivecharters.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.