In September 2026, a group of 20 Australian university students set out from Brisbane aboard the CSIRO research vessel Investigator, bound for Fiji on a CAPSTAN sea training voyage. While still in coastal waters off Queensland, the students took part in several shipwreck surveys that ultimately led to discoveries of hidden wrecks.
The key to finding these wrecks was not just sonar or historical records, but the behaviour of marine life. Fish and other organisms often cluster around submerged structures, and their movements helped the research team pinpoint locations where shipwrecks lay concealed. The students were directly involved in these surveys, gaining hands-on experience in marine research and underwater archaeology.
Because only one source was used, there are no conflicting accounts to reconcile. The article highlights how combining biological observations with oceanographic research can reveal human history beneath the waves, and how training voyages like CAPSTAN give students practical exposure to such interdisciplinary science.