2023.11 - The Fin Shipwreck

Xander and Leanne Kayak 7km out to sea to explore the remains of a Whale Chaser wrecked on the Ningaloo Reef in 1923

This is one of my many adventures on the Ningaloo Reef, subscribe to get future updates straight to your inbox.

Leanne and I first heard about the Fin Shipwreck in September of 2023, six months after establishing ourselves in Coral Bay. From that moment we knew we had to check it out. After two months the weather, our work schedule, and our health gave us the opportunity we had been waiting for!

Early Start

We arose with the sun, giving ourselves time for the 2 hour drive to our beach access in time for the low winds.

With the car already loaded I made a quick coffee run to the Coral Bay Bakery and was rewarded with the beautiful sunrise above.

Nesting Turtles

Arriving at the beach we were greeted by fantastic calm conditions, and immediately distracted by two nesting turtles!

One turtle was already swimming away, while the other lay resting in the tiny breaking waves. We kept our distance taking photos, not wanting the tired mother to reenter the water prematurely.

If turtles don’t rest long enough after laying their eggs they are at greater risk from tiger shark ambush, or drowning under the weight of over-eager males.

Setting Out

We organised the kayak at the top of the dunes, continuing to give the turtle a wide berth as we entered the water.

If you zoom in on the horizon behind our kayak above, you can see the sandbar which is all that remains of Frazer Island since it washed away in the 1960’s.

The Sandbar

Without the elevation from the dunes the sandbar slipped out of sight, but we set out in the right direction and soon after it came back into view.

The 6km to the island were uneventful, but by the time we arrived we were hungry and ready to stretch our legs.

Our own personal island

We thought it was great having somewhere to relax in comfort this far out to sea. This was a fantastic upgrade from having to eat and get changed on the kayak while visiting different parts of the Ningaloo Reef throughout the year.

From here we could see the wreck, as well as another much smaller sandbar about one third of the way there, so after a good rest we made this our next destination.

Almost there

We used the smaller sandbar as a staging ground to change into our wet suits before paddling the final kilometre to the wreck.

Arrival

We passed the remains of the Frazer Island lighthouse first then moored up at the wreck.

Snorkelling

We began by exploring around the front of the wreck, where we found an anemone, and then towards the outer reef.

Sea Stars

There were loads of our favourite blue sea stars, and a starfish with only 4 limbs.

Corals

Snorkelling towards the reef we were treated to a beautiful variety of corals, as well as dozens of unicorn fish too fast to photograph.

Wildlife

The wildlife were out in force too, including a rare Skate sighting and Harlequin Filefish (a personal favourite of ours).

Lighthouse Foundations

After a quick drink break at the kayak we swum to the lighthouse, starting our exploration with the foundations.

Lighthouse Frame

The lighthouse frame was full of life, with enough water depth for us to swim through for a closer look.

Burst of Yellow

Just past the top of the fallen lighthouse I swam over a large field of healthy yellow staghorn coral.

Final Finds

We finished with a final lap of the shipwreck and the biodiversity continued, including a pile of empty shells left by a well fed octopus (centre).

Lunch

By the time we began our return journey the tide had swallowed the smaller sandbar. We paddled directly from the shipwreck to the larger island; once again taking the time to eat, change, and relax in comfort.

After a good break, we slid the kayak over the island and were on our way.

Increasing Winds

For the final leg we were well outside our calm window. The wind was blowing hard from the South West, threatening to push us several kilometres north of our car.

Kayaking in a zigzag pattern kept us on course and saved our energy. With two kilometres remaining, we decided to try out our kayak sail.

This proved to be quite effective, and we might have been able to make a more direct line if we’d unfurled it earlier. We found that by using the paddle as an extension we could get a larger angle and travel up to about 30 degrees from the wind direction consistently.

In the end it didn’t take long to make landfall but we had to backtrack south a kilometre to reach our car.

Reflections

We realised afterwards that this Shipwreck was exactly 100 years old during our visit. We also know that the lighthouse on Frazer Island collapsed into the sea 60 years ago. Consequently both provide a great frame of reference for how long coral takes to grow, which is an interesting lens to view all the photos through.

Trail Tips

This expedition is for experienced paddlers only, and weather is an important consideration. Obviously low winds are ideal for paddling and snorkelling, but if you time your visit right you could ride an easterly out, snorkel during low winds, and return to the mainland on the sea breeze.

The sandbar remains of Frazer Island make for a fantastic staging ground and I would highly recommend doing as we did; using it for morning tea, lunch, and changing either side of the swim.

It might also be possible to access the coast from other points in the surrounding area to make the most of your conditions.

Links

https://www.divingwawrecks.com/fin

Next post: Monday 2023.11.27

Xander and Leanne day-trip back to their launch site to retrieve their forgotten paddles and enjoy a Snorkel at South Lefroy Beach.