Quite a few ships have come to grief on the fringing reef around Lady Elliot Island, but only one of these can be dived, the Severance. This fully intact yacht sank in 1998 and still has much of its rigging in place that is now covered in glorious soft corals. Sitting on a sandy sea floor, 21 metres deep, the wreck is a haven for marine life with cobia, sweetlips, emperors, snappers, trevally and gropers sheltering around the yacht. A look inside the ship will often reveal tasselled wobbegongs, coral trout, coral cod, lionfish and thousands of shrimps. Other visitors to the Severance include turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, eagle rays and manta rays.
