wreck of Victory - Fiordland
Cotovia. She’s not one of Scapa’s big German fleet, but we love this little auxiliary trawler. You drop onto her at around 20 metres, and she’s lying mostly intact, listing slightly to starboard. What we really appreciate here is the scale; you can get a real sense of the ship’s original layout, navigating through the holds and engine room without feeling lost in a cavernous space. The wooden decking has long since rotted away, leaving the steel ribs exposed, which create these fantastic skeletal structures. Light filters through, illuminating the jewel anemones that cling to every surface, their colours startling against the gloomy steel. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of inquisitive coalfish darting between the beams and the occasional common brittlestar tucked into a crevice. It’s a dive that rewards careful exploration, perfect for divers who appreciate the quieter narrative of a smaller wreck. We’d suggest pairing it with a dive on one of the larger cruisers for a complete Scapa Flow experience.
- Location
- Fiordland, New Zealand, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -45.841140, 170.732530
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Parker Salt Marsh (Papanui Inlet)
Best Time to Dive in Fiordland
The warmest water temperatures in Fiordland occur in February, averaging 15.7°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 9.6°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 15.6°C
- February: 15.7°C
- March: 15.1°C
- April: 13.8°C
- May: 12.4°C
- June: 10.8°C
- July: 9.8°C
- August: 9.6°C
- September: 10.4°C
- October: 11.2°C
- November: 13.3°C
- December: 14.2°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Fiordland
- Aramoana Mole (reef)
- Aramoana Mole
- Bridal Veil (reef)
- Bridal Veil
- Butterfly Wall - 15-40m (wall)
- Butterfly Wall (reef)
- Cray’s Crack (wreck)
- Dale Green (reef)
- Dale Point (cave)
- Dive Otago
- Fox Cove (reef)
- Greenstone Beach (reef)
- Greenstone Point (wall)
- Harrison Cove (reef)
- Marakura Bay (reef)
Marine Life in Fiordland
Home to 49 recorded species including 21 reef fish, 10 sharks & rays, 9 other, 3 whales & dolphins, 3 seagrass & algae, 1 crabs & lobsters.
Notable Species
- Red Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Sandperch (Parapercis colias) - Reef Fish
- Cape Shark (Squalus acanthias) - Sharks & Rays
- Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) - Sharks & Rays
- Rig (Galeorhinus galeus) - Sharks & Rays
- Auckland Sea Lion (Phocarctos hookeri) - Whales & Dolphins
- Ghost Shark (Callorhinchus milii)
- Lemon Sole (Pelotretis flavilatus) - Reef Fish
- blackfoot pāua (Haliotis iris) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Bluefin Gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu) - Reef Fish
- Carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum)
- Rig (Mustelus lenticulatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Dark Ghost Shark (Hydrolagus novaezealandiae)
- Soldier (Pseudolabrus miles) - Reef Fish
- Smooth Skate (Dipturus innominatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Bugler (Notopogon lilliei) - Reef Fish
- Jack Mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) - Reef Fish
- Light-bulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis)
- Banded bellowsfish (Centriscops humerosus) - Reef Fish
- Pale Ghost Shark (Hydrolagus bemisi)
Recommended Packing List for wreck of Victory
Based on average water temperature of 12.7°C, currents 10 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (5-7mm) - recommended for 13°C water
- Hood & Gloves (3-5mm) - helps retain warmth
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories