Exploration
Southern Ocean Exploration, by its name, is committed to promoting exploration of our maritime heritage around Southern and South Eastern Australia. This commitment is exemplified in our guiding principles.
Non-profit · Est. 2003
Locating and recording Australia's lost maritime history
Southern Ocean Exploration (SOE) is a non-profit group of explorers, educators and sub-professional maritime archaeologists who locate and record what lies undiscovered in the expansive coastal waters of Southern and South Eastern Australia.
Who we are
Divers, researchers and volunteers
SOE believe that as divers we have a role to play in extending the boundaries of diving and the recording of the sunken history that lies beneath our oceans. Non-divers are an integral part of the exploration and we welcome any new ideas or adventures that may assist in our quest. We are always looking for help, any new information, a new project or the latest challenge to extend the boundaries of what we do.
Southern Ocean Exploration is dedicated to Exploration, Education and Preserving our underwater Maritime Heritage.
What guides us
Our values
Education
We encourage, promote, participate and conduct appropriate and ongoing training in diving techniques, methods, skills and maritime archaeology.
Preserving our underwater Maritime Heritage
Shipwrecks are the archaeological record of a precise moment in time. Once damaged, disturbed or lost they cannot be replaced.
Safety
In all land based and on/underwater activities, safety is the primary concern for every team member. Our procedures and risk mitigation strategies are designed to put safety first and deliver successful, repeatable outcomes.
Projects
Shipwrecks and aircraft we've researched
From 19th century steamers to wartime aircraft, each project starts in the archives and ends on the seabed.
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Shipwreck1929
TSS Kanaowna
6,993-ton twin-screw passenger/cargo liner
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Shipwreck1876
SS Queensland
Iron single-screw passenger/cargo steamer (rigged as a 3-masted topsail…
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Shipwreck1893
SS Alert
Iron screw steamer
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Shipwreck1917
TSS Cumberland
8,993-ton steel-hulled steamship (4-masted)
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Shipwreck1900
SS Glenelg
Iron twin-screw passenger/cargo steamship
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Shipwreck1934
TSS Coramba
531-ton twin-screw coastal steamer
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Shipwreck1877
City of Hobart
Iron screw passenger steamship
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Shipwreck1913
Brunette
375-ton Iron Barque (later a coal hulk)
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Shipwreck
Victorian
415-ton Iron Steamer (later a coal hulk)
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Shipwreck1978
Shiralee
Commercial Fishing Trawler
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Shipwreck1932
Light Ship SCUD
Wooden Lightship / Pilot Vessel
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Aircraft
Gunman TBF Fighter
Torpedo Bomber Aircraft
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Aircraft1945
Hudson A16-113
Lockheed Hudson Twin-Engine Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft
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Aircraft1943
A9-304 Beaufort Bomber
Bristol Beaufort Mk VIII Twin-Engine Torpedo Bomber
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Research1914
Project Longshot
6,557-ton Cargo Steamer / Troop Carrier
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Shipwreck1972
Vicalen Jet Boat
Prototype jet-powered boat
Want to get involved?
Technical divers, sonar operators, boat crew and researchers all play a part. If you're interested in our work, we'd like to hear from you.