DIVE THE SWAN
By Graeme Olsen
It's coming up towards the best time of year to view this popular dive wreck.
Although the SWAN dive wreck is divable 10 months of the year, it's generally agreed that the best times are from November through to May, so make sure you plan a trip to this great artificial reef over the warmer months.
The SWAN dive wreck is located in Geographe Bay off Dunsborough, and was the first prepared dive wreck of it's kind in the southern hemisphere. Now home to a large range of marine life, the dive caters for all levels of divers, and is a great experience you must try.
The HMAS SWAN was a River Class Frigate Destroyer Escort in the Australian Navy, built on the 16th of December 1967. She served for 26 years, travelling to Australian and international ports, mostly in South East Asia. She also served in the Vietnam War, escorting the Troop Ship HMAS Sydney.
On December 14th 1997, the HMAS SWAN was decommissioned, and sunk as a dive wreck in 30 metres of water off Dunsborough. Many of you will remember the wide news coverage it received when it was scuttled and sent to the ocean floor.
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Since then, the SWAN has become a very popular dive site. Measuring 112m in length, 21m in height and 13m in width, it is truly a spectacular site. An important factor that has quickly increased the amount of marine life in the wreck, is that a 500 meter exclusion zone has been established around the site, which prohibits any fishing or hunting of any kind.
Batfish swim around the Crow's nest, large schools of Bullseyes inhabit many rooms, with King George Whiting and Brim swimming around the hull. The inquisitive Samson Fish give divers an added bonus when looking around the wreck, along with Dhufish, Shaw's Cowfish, Blue Devil, Sweep, Talma... the list goes on and on. But not only is there fish, but plant life is growing on and around the wreck with several flowering soft corals, seagrass, hydroids and coral formations. There is more and more growth every year.
A dive on the SWAN wreck is an amazing experience, and something you should definitely do if you have the opportunity.
Cape Dive in Dunsborough are one of the local providers of dive tours to the wreck, and can provide all the assistance and advice you need. They run daily charters to the wreck, and bookings are essential to avoid disappointment. You can find out more on their website at www.capedive.com or phone (08) 9756 8778.
October 2007
