Stefano

Meet the site

The Stefano, an 858-ton, 51 m wooden barque, grounded on Ningaloo Reef in 1875 in poorly charted waters while steering to avoid North West Cape. Of 17 crew, 10 reached shore; two young survivors, 16-year-old Miho Baccich and 18-year-old Ivan Jurich, endured three months of starvation and thirst before Aboriginal people rescued them and nursed them back to health — one of the great survival stories of the WA coast.

Little of the wooden hull survives. An anchor, windlass and numerous iron knees lie scattered over the reef top across roughly 40 x 30 m at 11–12 m, with two sandy anchoring areas. Access is by boat from Ningaloo Station (with permission), 30 miles south from Coral Bay, or from South Lefroy Bay 20 miles north; it needs swell under 1 m.

The Point Cloates coast: the stretch of Ningaloo between Coral Bay and Yardie Creek is a notorious ship trap where the reef lies close to the shipping route and an uncharted north-west current set vessels onto the reef. The WA wreck-diving guide divingwawrecks lists nine wrecks here, from the 1811 Rapid to the 1931 Chofuku Maru. All are remote, require a private boat, calm seas and self-sufficiency, and are protected historic sites — look, photograph and leave everything in place.

Planning notes: Open Water certification is recommended and the site is rated advanced. Expect to spend most of the dive around 11 m, with a maximum of about 12 m. Access is by boat only, and site selection depends on wind, swell and tide on the day. Best season: April–October on glassy days. Traffic: remote/expedition only.

What you might see

Reef fish, coral, turtles

Location

Scattered remains of an 1875 Austro-Hungarian wooden barque on the reef south of Black Rock Passage, Ningaloo, in 11–12 m.

Facilities nearby

None; remote station coast. Air in Coral Bay or Exmouth.