FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

S.S YONGALA DIVE TRIP

Click here for details on inclusions and pricing.

PRE-DIVE

TIME & LOCATION

Please meet at the dive shop at 7.30 am for check-in (36 Braby Street, Alva Beach, Ayr). Your last dive will finish around 1pm and the day finishes at approx. 2:30pm. Click here for details on how to get here and where to stay.

SCHEDULE

We operate dive trips every day of the week except for Tuesdays.

CONFIRMATION

If you do not hear from us, the dive trip is confirmed. If there is a chance we may have to cancel the trip, we will email you as soon as possible.

PRE-TRIP PREPARATION

A minimum of 24 hours prior to your trip:

Complete the digital liability/medical waiver
Upload dive certification
Upload nitrox certification (if diving nitrox)
Send dive medical clearance (if required)

WHAT TO BRING

Log book
Towel & umper
Water bottle
Seasick tablets (if prone to seasickness)
Food/snacks (if you have dietary restrictions)
Credit/debit card (for merchandise and other purchases). We do not accept cash.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Requirements

You must:

Hold a minimum of Advanced Open Water certification (complete or in progress).
10+ recreational dives. Open Water & Advanced course training dives do not count towards the minimum. Log book evidence may be requested.
Have dove within the last 12 months. If not, a refresher dive is required.
15 years or older.

OPEN WATER DIVERS

Open water divers must meet the minimum requirements and cannot dive on their OW certification alone. They must have begun the Advanced Open Water Course. Open Water Divers who have not added eLearning AND deep dive training will not be permitted to dive (these cannot be added the day of your trip and you will forfeight the full cost of your booking).

Click here for more details.

Refresher Courses

A refresher course must be completed with another agency if you have not dove in the last 12 months.

Please note: Because Yongala Dive is a small shop and we run our SS Yongala trips daily, we do not offer refresher courses.

EQUIPMENT

Gear Rental & ADD-ON Deadline

Many guests ask if they can wait until the morning of their trip to decide on gear rental and add-ons (nitrox upgrade or DJI camera rentals). Trip planning is completed 24 hours prior to departure, so gear rental, nitrox upgrades or other add-ons cannot be added on the morning of the dive. These must be added to your booking a minimum of 24 hours prior to your trip.

WETSUITS

Our wesuits are 3mm and 5mm thick.
From June to September, water temperatures range between 22–25°C (5mm recommended), and from October to May, temperatures are generally between 25–29°C.

CYLINDERS

We use 12L cylinders for our dives. Unfortunately, 15L cylinders are not available.

GEAR RENTAL SIZING

At the time of booking, you will be asked to submit your body height and weight. This will help us properly size your BCD rental and load it in the boat.

You do not need to come to the dive shop the day before the trip to try on gear: you will be fitted for wetsuits and fins the morning of your trip.

FACILITIES

ACCOMMODATION

Yongala Dive does not offer accommodation.
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For more information on accomodation options near the dive shop, click here.

OUR VESSEL

You’ll ride to the wreck at exhilarating speeds of around 25 knots on our purpose built dive boat, the Yongala Express. We take a maximum of 12 divers, ensuring comfort and safety on the trip out. We do not accept non-divers on the boat.

TOILETS

Toilets are located in the caravan park next to our dive shop. Do not enter the bathrooms while wearing your wetsuit. Please respect the caravan rules.

ACCESIBILITY INFORMATION

We try our best to accommodate all guests traveling with us. Accessibility elements to consider before booking our SS Yongala trip include:

Beach access
At times a long beach walk (boat launch location varies with changing tides and sand dunes)
A steep ladder to enter the boat.

SHOWERS

Yongala Dive does not have shower facilities. Only people staying at the caravan park may use the showers. We have a fresh water hose at the dive shop that can be used to rinse off.

FOOD & DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Unfortunately, Yongala Dive cannot cater to dietary restrictions. If you have allergies or dietary requirements, we encourage you to bring your own food and snacks.

There are no shops or cafes in Alva Beach. The closest shops are in Ayr 15-20 mins away.

ABOUT THE S.S YONGALA & THE DIVE

SS YONGALA HISTORY

Over 100 years ago, the Steam Ship Yongala sank in a cyclone off the coast of Ayr, near Townsville. It was one of the most tragic maritime disasters in Australia. Click here to learn more.

Wreck Penetration

Penetration of the Yongala is strictly prohibited, and entering the wreck can result in a fine of up to $5,000.

Marine Life

The S.S. Yongala is home to the most incredible life on the Great Barrier Reef and has become an ecosystem providing habitat for the ocean’s most spectacular creatures. Click here to learn more.

WRECK PRESERVATION

Please do not touch the wreck or dive underneath any portion of the wreck where your bubbles can become trapped against the structure. The Yongala is over 100 years old and fragile, so careful buoyancy and no contact help protect it for future generations.

MARINE LEVY

A $22 marine levy is included in your booking and contributes to the conservation, monitoring and maintenance that helps protect the Yongala wreck & Great Barrier Reef.

DIVE CONDITIONS

Vary significantly and can at times be challenging. This can include:

a rough boat journey and ocean swell, which may cause seasickness
strong surface currents and waves
strong currents at depth (Note: down-currents are rare but possible)
low visibility
increased risks associated with deep diving.

PAYMENT

BOOKING PAYMENT

The credit card provided at the time of booking is for reservation purposes only. It will not be charged until the day before your scheduled trip once we have confirmed the trip. If Yongala Dive cancels a trip, you will not be charged.

NO CASH

We are a cash-free facility. Please bring a form of payment with you on the day of your trip for merchandise and other purchases. We note we do not accept cash.

GIFT CARDS & Vouchers

Looking for the perfect gift for the certifed diver in your life? Buy an SS Yongala Dive Trip or Cash value gift card.

Gift cards and voucers are valid for 1 year from the time of purchase.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

T&C

Click here for a complete list of our Terms & Conditions.

PARTICIPANT CANCELATIONS

Cancellations by participants within 48 hours of departure will incur the full cost of the trip.

YONGALA DIVE CANCELATIONS

All trips are dependent on minimum numbers & weather conditions, and a final confirmation is made the afternoon prior to the trip.

To account for the possibility of poor weather days, we highly recommend either:

Leaving some flexibility in your plans to shift the dive trip forward or backwards by a day or,
Booking more than 1 dive day with us giving you more opportunity to dive one of the best dive sites in the world! Note: we do not run trips to other dive sites.

If your plans do not have flexibility to shift the dive forward or backwards by a day in the event of poor weather, we highly recommend travel insurance to cover any losses due to possible cancellations.

INSURANCES

Dive Accident Insurance: We recommend purchasing dedicated dive insurance to cover dive accident related medical expenses and hyperbaric treatment. Standard health insurance often excludes scuba diving injuries. We recommend trusted, specialized providers like DAN (Divers Alert Network) or DiveAssure.

Travel Insurance: It is highly recommended to secure a Domestic Travel Insurance Policy with a Scuba Diving Rider or a dedicated Dive-Travel insurance policy to cover your travel expenses in the event of cancelations. Note: standard Dive Accident Insurance will not cover trip costs associated to cancelations.

We do not accept responsibility for any cancellation fees or costs incurred by you if we have to cancel a trip.