Don Diego

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Thre-Masted Iron Barque, Coal Hulk | Max Depth: 72 m (236 ft) — Graveyard

The Don Diego was a three-masted iron barque, built in 1855, and scuttled in the Victorian Ships' Graveyard on 26 May 1916.

Diving the Don Diego Shipwreck

The Don Diego shipwreck lies about 9 nautical miles south of Point Nepean in about 72 m (236 ft) of sea water. It appears to have been well stripped and was probably only a hulk on scuttling. Bow and stern rise around 4 m (13 ft) from the seabed with the amidships lying flat.

The Don Diego dive site is exposed and prone to tidal currents from Port Phillip. Diving the shipwreck requires careful planning as it's near the main shipping lanes.

Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.

Don Diego Shipwreck History — Built in 1855

Don Diego
© Unknown

The Don Diego was originally a three-masted iron barque of 320 tons gross, built in 1855, by Scott & Co., in Greenock, Scotland. The overall length of the Don Diego was 145.6 ft (44 m), with a beam of 24.2 ft (7.38 m) and a draught of 13.9 ft (4.24 m).

On 28 February 1874, while in charge of Pilot M'Queen, the Don Diego went ashore off Queenscliff, having slipped her anchor. She had just arrived from Liverpool and was waiting at the time for the Health Officer, who was engaged on board another vessel. The Don Diego was refloated by the steamers Williams and Resolute, and brought into Melbourne by Pilot Kennedy.

In 1884, after some years in the phosphate trade, the Don Diego was converted into a coal hulk.

Don Diego Sinking — 26 May 1916

Owners Australian Steamships Ltd (Howard Smith) advised that the Don Diego was scuttled about 8 miles from Point Lonsdale on 26 May 1916.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Traditional Owners — This dive site does not lie in the acknowledged traditional Country of any first peoples of Australia.

Don Diego Location Map

Latitude: 38° 23.726′ S (38.395433° S / 38° 23′ 43.56″ S)
Longitude: 144° 32.055′ E (144.534253° E / 144° 32′ 3.31″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-12 04:07:26 GMT
Source: Book - Victoria's Ships' Graveyard GPS (verified)
Nearest Neighbour: Brunette, 2,568 m, bearing 358°, N
Three-Masted Iron Barque, Coal Hulk, 320 ton.
Built: Greenock, UK, 1855.
Scuttled: 26 May 1916.
Victorian Ships' Graveyard, Bass Strait.
Depth: 70 to 72 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.