7/31/2006 - Scottish Prince - The Spit - Surfers Paradise - Australia
I have been meaning to write this up for a while, but never got around to it... I am pleased I waited, as I recently learnt I have a biological relationship (of sorts) with the wreck.
Off the Spit (just North of Surfers Paradise and South of the Seaway (the location of the Poo Pipe) lies the wreck of the Scottish Prince. Her story is very well known in my area for one reason - she sank with a cargo load of Scotch Whiskey!
On the 2nd of Feb in 1887, the Scottish Prince went down with no hands, but much whiskey in around 15m of water at the bow. For the next 100 years, people were still finding bottles of whiskey along the shore (I looked but didn't find any).
These days, the Scottish Prince is home to many a friendly sea creature. I have seen turtles, eagle rays, a school of the rare (for us) ghost pipe fish, a lost potato cod, crayfish and lots of batfish and woobegongs.
So what is this family connection?
The port of call of the Scottish Prince before she sank was the coastal town of Mooloolaba. Here, she unloaded a contingent of migrants from the UK - including a baby boy, born two weeks from port - that baby was my grandfather.
It was such a strange feeling to have a real affinity for a dive location. I do want to dive her again, but... Surge is a bitch there unless it is glass flat. She is good sized wreck, and an enjoyable dive, but there isn't too much there for two two hour dives though. I think next time, I will just wait for a really flat day and swim out rather than go by boat. :)
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