South Australia
Diving in Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is jetty country. Edithburgh, Port Hughes, Wool Bay, Stenhouse Bay and Port Victoria have some of the richest macro diving in Australia under their pylons: blue devils, pyjama squid, seahorses, tasselled anglerfish, leafy seadragons and carpets of sponges in 5–12 m. Marion Bay and Innes National Park at the southern tip add wrecks, sea lions and clearer open-coast water.
THE LOCAL PLANNING BRIEF
Understand the options around Yorke Peninsula
What this regional directory records Counts describe published records, not bookable trips or confirmed open sites.
There are 58 published site records in Yorke Peninsula. The recorded categories include jetty/pier (18), wreck (18), reef (8), island (4). These categories reflect the database; they are not a ranking, a conditions report or an assessment of your suitability.
Use the Yorke Peninsula site cards to compare recorded access and depth, then open the individual pages for the map accuracy and source notes. Sites grouped in a region are not necessarily close enough to combine in one day.
Research operators in South Australia →Ask before booking
- Is the proposed activity open water or an overhead environment?
- Who manages access and where can we check current rules?
- Which equipment and transport arrangements must be booked ahead?
Save the answers with the contact name and date. Separate confirmed arrangements from items still waiting for a reply.
Record your trip questions →Questions, answered
How do I choose a dive in Yorke Peninsula?
Begin with the individual site and its source notes, then discuss the proposed trip with a local provider. The 58 published records are research options, not a list of trips available today. Match the plan to your training, recent experience and the operator’s current requirements.
When should I visit Yorke Peninsula for diving?
Choose dates with a provider who runs the activity you want, then discuss seasonal patterns, recent conditions and alternative itineraries. A generic best-month claim cannot establish the conditions at your exact site or guarantee a wildlife encounter.
Can I use these maps to enter or navigate a dive site?
No. Recorded and approximate map positions support orientation only. Confirm the exact access, permissions, meeting point and route with the responsible local provider or manager.
Regional planning context: South Australian Tourism Commission — regional trip information ↗. Directory counts come from published YouDive records. Individual site claims remain subject to their source and review notes.
Dive sites in this region
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Edithburgh Jetty
Arguably Australia's best jetty dive: 150-year-old piles smothered in sponge and ascidian growth hosting anglerfish, pyjama…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Ethel Wreck
South Australia's most photographed wreck: the iron ribs of an 1876 barque rising from the sand of a wild Innes surf beach, best…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Hougomont Wreck
A dismasted 1897 four-masted barque of the Erikson grain fleet, scuttled as a breakwater with bow and stern still upright in 9 m…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Moorara Wreck
The most complete Murray River barge wreck in South Australia – wooden hull, two engines and deckhouse in 3-4 m, full of fish.
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Point Turton Jetty
The lower Yorke Peninsula's go-to sheltered dive and a first-class night dive, with pyjama squid, slipper lobsters and…
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Port Hughes Jetty
A 417 m 1911 jetty with prolific cowfish, anglerfish, seahorses and weedy seadragons – one of SA's best macro and night dives,…
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Port Victoria Jetty
A short, pretty jetty dive in a historic windjammer port, best on easterly days, and the base for the Wardang Island wreck trail.
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS Australian Wreck
A flattened but extensive 1879 Dundee-built steam coaster with a detached boiler and prolific fish, lying next to the MacIntyre.
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS Clan Ranald Wreck
The only turret ship lost in Australian waters, lying upside down in 18-21 m inside an aquatic reserve – a haunting and fish-rich…
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS Ferret Wreck
The boiler of a once-stolen 'pirate' steamer lying beside the Ethel on a wild Innes beach.
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS Investigator Wreck
Anchor and propeller of an 1882 steamer lying in just 3-4 m – ideal for snorkellers and new divers on the Wardang trail.
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS MacIntyre Wreck
A converted river barge turned coastal steamer, lost in 1927 a short swim from the SS Australian – an easy two-wreck dive.
WreckYorke Peninsula
SS Willyama Wreck
A 2,705-ton steel collier broken across the reef off Rhino Head, with sternpost and steering quadrant at the surface and boilers,…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Songvaar Wreck
The Wardang trail's largest wreck: an 1884 iron ship sunk on her own anchor in 1912, with the anchor still piercing the hull and…
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Stenhouse Bay Jetty
Clear-water jetty with basket stars and gorgonians rarely seen elsewhere on the peninsula, an upturned Ford Telstar and the…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Zanoni Wreck
One of Australia's best-preserved 19th-century composite sailing ships, lying intact on her side in 18 m with masts, rudder and…
WreckYorke Peninsula
Aagot Wreck
Scattered iron barque remains among the rocks of Wardang Island's wild western shore – an atmospheric snorkel on flat days.
IslandYorke Peninsula
Althorpe Island
Remote island with 50+ sites, 20 m walls, seal colonies, big blue groper and historic wrecks at the mouth of Spencer Gulf.
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Ardrossan BHP Jetty
Deep industrial jetty head where huge schools of fish gather – boat access only and only when no ship is in port.
Artificial ReefYorke Peninsula
Ardrossan Barge
A 1911 Sydney-built hopper barge scuttled in 1984 as a fish haven beside the protected Zanoni – no permit required and plenty of…
Jetty/PierYorke Peninsula
Ardrossan Town Jetty
The quickest Yorke Peninsula jetty dive from Adelaide – shallow, easy and full of crabs, pike and rays under the piles.
IslandYorke Peninsula
Chinamans Hat Island
A small island ringed by reef riddled with swim-throughs, chimneys and caves, a short boat ride from Marion Bay.
IslandYorke Peninsula
Haystack Island
Towering, bird-covered island with seal-visited ledges and big blue groper – usually dived with the famous Haystack Reef wall…
WallYorke Peninsula
Haystack Reef
A kilometre-long wall from 22 m to 10 m, riddled with caves and swim-throughs and carpeted in red, yellow and orange sponges –…