Snorkelling the Tangalooma Wrecks: A Day Trip from Brisbane

Just over an hour by ferry from Brisbane, off the west coast of Moreton Island, fifteen old vessels sit half-sunk in a line in clear, shallow water. They were scuttled deliberately to make a breakwall for small boats, and over the decades they've become an artificial reef, crusted with coral and busy with fish, turtles and rays. Snorkelling them is the best thing you can do in a day from Brisbane without getting on a plane.

Here's how to do it: the guided tour or swimming out on your own, what it costs, and how to stay safe.

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The wrecks are a short walk along the beach from Tangalooma Island Resort, and the resort's ferry is the way most day trippers get there. It leaves from 220 Holt Street, Pinkenba, near the mouth of the Brisbane River, with morning departures at 7:30am and 10am. The crossing takes just over an hour, and day cruises return at 4pm.

Pinkenba is out past the airport, so allow time to get there. If you're coming from the city without a car, the simplest option is a day tour with hotel pickup (see below), or the resort's shuttle coach from city hotels and South Bank, which connects with the 10am ferry. No public transport goes to Holt Street.

The resort's "Snorkel the Wrecks" tour takes you out by boat, with a guide in the water. It lasts about 90 minutes in total, with roughly half an hour of that spent snorkelling. Wetsuits, fins, masks (including prescription masks) and life jackets are all provided, and the minimum age is six.

As a day cruise package from Brisbane, including the ferry, it costs $179 for adults and $149 for children (prices checked October 2026, including a fuel surcharge that applies until January 2027).

Choose this if: you're not a strong swimmer, you have kids with you, or it's your first time snorkelling in open water.

You can also reach the wrecks from the beach. It's about a 20-minute walk north along the sand from the resort, then a swim out. Gear can be hired at the resort.

Be honest with yourself about this one. The currents around the wrecks can be strong, especially on a running tide, and there's no one watching you. Go with a buddy, check the tide times, aim for slack water around high or low tide, and stay out of the channel used by boats.

Choose this if: you're a confident open-water swimmer and want more time in the water for less money.

Tangalooma lists more than 200 species of fish and 130 species of coral around the wrecks, along with three species of turtle, wobbegong sharks and rays. On a calm, clear day you can float above schools of fish moving through the old hulls, and the shallow water makes it good for beginners.

You can snorkel the wrecks all year, and wetsuits are provided on the tour, but the water is most comfortable from about October to April. Winter brings clearer, calmer days and a bonus: humpback whales pass Moreton Island from June to October.

The Snorkel the Wrecks package uses the ferry, so you'll have the rest of the day at Tangalooma for the beach, the resort's facilities, or another activity. If you'd like to see the famous wild dolphin feeding at dusk, you'll need the evening package, which brings you back to Brisbane much later. Our Moreton Island day trip guide compares all the day packages and prices.

These day tours include the ferry and snorkelling, and some add hotel transfers from Brisbane or the Gold Coast: