What's Inside The Big Deep Blue At WA

The Whale Chaser Cheynes Iii Was Scuttled In 1983 And Is Said To Be The First Purpose-Sunk Dive Wreck In WA.

What's Inside The Big Deep Blue At WA
By Mogens Johansen

The WA coastline has some of the most diverse marine environments in the world, from the cool Southern Ocean waters of Esperance and Albany to the tropical waters of Ningaloo and the Rowley Shoals. And in addition to the natural sites for scuba divers and snorkellers to explore, there are thought to be around 1400 shipwrecks. Most are accidental, but some ships have been scuttled to create really good dive sites.

Esperance and Albany

The Recherche Archipelago near Esperance offers many beautiful dive sites with crystal clear water, caves and swim-throughs. The cool, clear water is the perfect environment for colourful soft coral sponges and many species of fish.

A shore dive at Town Jetty or a boat dive on the Sanko Harvest, which wrecked on a reef should be top of the list. When the Sanko Harvest wrecked in 1991, it was seen as a major environmental disaster, but it has turned out to be a major dive attraction. It’s the largest dive site off the WA coast and home to a vast array of marine creatures.

One of the best natural sites in the Albany region is The Caves near Michaelmas Island. It has huge caves with gorgonian fans, colourful sponges and heaps of fish.

The whale chaser Cheynes III was scuttled in 1983 and is said to be the first purpose-sunk dive wreck in WA. It is on the west side of Michaelmas Island in King George Sound. It was one of three whale chasers sailing from the Cheynes Beach whaling station before it closed in 1978.

The Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Perth II was scuttled in King George Sound, near the whaling station, in 2001 after being decommissioned in 1999. The 133m destroyer is the biggest purpose-sunk dive wreck in WA.

Dunsborough, Busselton and Bunbury

HMAS Swan is one of WA’s top dive wrecks. Also known as the Fluffy Duck, it sits on the sandy bottom of Geographe Bay near Dunsborough. The destroyer was scuttled as a dive wreck in 1997 after 27 years of Royal Australian Navy service.

Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere. The pylons are teeming with interesting critters. Around 300 species of marine life live under the jetty. It is easily accessible and good for both snorkelling and scuba diving

The Russian registered fishing vessel MV Lena was confiscated by the Royal Australian Navy when it was caught poaching Patagonian toothfish in Australian waters. It was scuttled in 2003 and is off the coast at Bunbury.

Perth and Rottnest

There are numerous excellent dive sites around Perth. Marmion Marine Park, Shoalwater Islands Marine Park and Rottnest Island all have interesting dives.

RMS Orizaba went aground on Five Fathom Bank off Point Perron in 1905 and is one of the largest “accidental” dive wrecks off the Perth coast. The Omeo, an iron steamship built in 1858 in Newcastle, England, later converted to a sailing ship and used to lay the Overland Telegraph linking Australia to Britain via Singapore, is now a good shipwreck dive in shallow water between 25m and 40m offshore at Port Coogee. North Mole Barge is one of Perth’s most popular shore dives. It is easily accessible 180m north of the mole. Just about every bay at Rottnest Island has something to offer. The Shark, just off the beach in Bickley Bay, is one of its most accessible wrecks, and Parker Point has a snorkelling trail with plaques on the seabed that describe the flora and fish life.

Crystal Palace, on the south-east side of the island, is my pick for an excellent scuba dive. It has some spectacular caves and a large variety of fish species. Boy in a Boat Reef at Hillarys is a popular shore dive. The limestone reef has lots of nooks, crannies and swim-throughs. A little further south, snorkelling close to shore is good at Mettam’s Pool.

Jurien Bay, Geraldton and the Abrolhos Islands

The limestone reef system that runs parallel to the shore at Jurien Bay has created a huge shallow lagoon that is home to Australian sea lions, dolphins and myriad juvenile fish.

Off Geraldton, the South Tomi was confiscated by the RAN after a 14-day and 3300 nautical mile chase across the Southern Ocean after it was spotted illegally fishing for Patagonian toothfish. It was scuttled as a dive wreck.

The shallow coral reefs around the Abrolhos Islands are teeming with sea life and the Batavia shipwreck lies in only 4-6m of water on Morning Reef near Beacon Island.

Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth

Ningaloo Marine Park runs from Carnarvon to Coral Bay and Exmouth, with a wide variety of dive sites, ranging from inshore coral dives that are perfect for beginners, to advanced open water dives on extraordinary reef complexes.

The Zvir, in Norwegian Bay, north of Coral Bay, is an excellent wreck dive. The steamer wrecked on the reef in 1902 carrying a cargo of sugar. Also at Norwegian Bay, the wreck of the whaler Fin rests in shallow water and makes an excellent snorkelling site.

Blizzard Reef, the Labyrinth and Helga’s Tunnels are excellent dive sites in the Lighthouse Bay area on North West Cape, and the Exmouth Navy Pier is an absolute must for divers. It is like being in an aquarium without the glass. Trust me.

The Muiron Islands, 18km off the tip of the North West Cape, teem with marine life and give unforgettable diving experiences.

Kimberley

A live-aboard dive charter to the remote Rowley Shoals Marine Park off the Kimberley coast is on many divers’ bucket list.

Thanks to their remote location on the edge of the continental shelf, about 260km west of Broome, they offer spectacular diving opportunities. They are made up of three coral atolls with untouched coral gardens, amazing marine life and crystal clear lagoons

This news was originally published at The West