On December 14th 1997, the HMAS SWAN ended her 26 years with the
Australian Royal Navy. Her final resting place now lies in a bed of sand, in
30 metres of water, off the South West Coast of Western Australia in
Geographe Bay, creating an artificial reef for corals and marine life.
The SWAN has now become a popular dive site; being the largest ship in the
Southern Hemisphere to be sunk as a dive wreck. Measuring 112m in length,
21m in height and 13m in width, she is truly a spectacular site. Situated 1.3
nautical miles off Point Piquet, Meelup, at a latitude of 155.06'2' East and a
longitude of 33.33'2' South.
There is already an abundance of sea life taking advantage of the SWAN as
there new home. Large schools of Bullseye 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. Not only
is there fish, plant life is starting to grow on and around the wreck with several
Flowering Soft corals, Seagrass, Hydroids and Coral Formations. All this
happened in one month after sinking and it's only going to get better.
