Tropical Cyclone Alfred has delivered an unexpected renovation to a popular dive site off the Sunshine Coast.
The forward smokestack of the HMAS Brisbane wreck has been sheered off and dropped next to the hull since the cyclone made its way down the coast.
Sunreef divers discovered the rearrangement when they inspected the wreck off Mooloolaba over the weekend to make sure it was safe to return with dive groups.
Manager John Fell said they could not believe what they saw when they got down to the wreck.
“There were two smokestacks and the forward smokestack, it was about five metres below the surface of the water, and the swell has taken that off and dropped it right next door about 20 metres,” he said.
Mr Fell said it was amazing that the smokestack had been lifted and dropped so neatly next to the hull.
Videos show the criss-cross of now-exposed deck structure and the smokestack sitting about 1.5 metres away from the hull.
Mr Fell said the surprise renovation demonstrated the power of the water movements while the cyclone was in the area.
“Prior to the cyclone, we had about four weeks of swell and then we had a week before and a week post-cyclone where we had some powerful stuff, some of the swell rising up to 15 metres,” he said.
“If you imagine the water sucking out and exposing the smokestack of the wreck then 15-metre waves smashing down on it, that’s the kind of thing that does this.”
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers also inspected the dive site over the weekend.
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Steve Hoseck, principal ranger of southern marine parks for QPWS, remarked on the force of the water to have created such a “major makeover”.
“An entire section below the front funnel has detached and been relocated to the port side of the ship – this is an amazing demonstration of the power of the waves and water currents that were at play during the cyclone,” he said.
Mr Hoseck said making the separated areas safe so that diving could resume as soon as possible would be prioritised by rangers.
“Once these works have been completed, we will open the site for guided external-only dives run by the two local dive operators,” he said.
“The next priority is a full internal inspection of the wreck to assess if additional work is required before diver entry into the wreck is deemed safe.
“This internal assessment is complex work that requires good sea conditions and could take several months to complete. Access during this time will be limited to guided dives only for safety.
“A multi-beam survey in April will give us an indication of damage to external surfaces, and will be compared to previous surveys to determine if any further twisting or warping has occurred.”
Mr Fell said there was already strong interest among divers who want to get a look at the reconfigured wreck.
Divers who have dived the wreck “hundreds of times” now wanted to see it again, he said.
“The level of interest from the diving community is palpable. People can’t wait to get over there and see the new makeover first-hand,” he said.
He said the cyclone’s work made the wreck more interesting and more of a talking point.
“We’ve now got a new section for marine life and coral growth, and we get to see the wreck in a cool new form,” he said.
“All wrecks have stories but now we’ve got a new chapter of the wreck that ties it in with a weather event when we tell the story of the HMAS Brisbane.”
Mr Hoseck asked people to stay away from the dive site until it was deemed safe.
“We recognise how important the ex-HMAS Brisbane site is to the local diving community and tourism industry and we are committed to getting the site safe and reopened so that visitors can experience its new creative expressions as soon as possible,” he said.
“Once deemed safe, the ex-HMAS Brisbane will be an amazing dive, with new twists and unique perspectives thanks to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.”
The HMAS Brisbane was scuttled about 2.9 nautical miles off Mooloolaba in 2005 to become an artificial reef.
