Permits can be purchased through local dive tour operator Swan Dive, who offer tank refills, equipment hire, tours and dive courses. They run daily tours to and from the HMAS Swan wreck with a team committed to offering the safest, most comfortable and most enjoyable experience on and in the water. Want to take your diving further? Register for one of their dive courses.
Alternatively, permits can be purchased through the Busselton Visitor Centre, contact them by phone at (08) 9780 5911 to organise for completion of the paperwork and pickup of the permit.
Points of interest in the interior of the wreck include the galley, magazine room, steering gear, control room, funnel uptakes, laundry, toilets and, of course, the bridge. The most recognisable feature outside the wreck is the communications tower or 'crows nest', the top of which sits in around nine metres of water. The yellow 'Swan Wreck' marker buoy indicates the position of the tower.
The engine room is inaccessible to divers.
Possible marine life encounters inside the wreck include schools of bulleye and pike, blue devilfish, western talma, leather jacket, banded sweep and more. Possible marine life encounters outside the wreck include schools of juvenile demersal species such as snapper, as well as flathead, globefish, samson fish, kingfish, batfish and even the odd nudibranch. You may be lucky enough to meet one of the resident wobbegongs! You will find numerous species of hard and soft coral as well as colourful ascidians colonised throughout the entire wreck.
The bow of the wreck points towards Cape Naturaliste and the stern of the wreck points towards Busselton. There are currently two public moorings available for recreational use, indicated by white mooring floats - one at the stern and one at the bow of the ship.
The wreck is owned and managed by Geographe Bay Artificial Reef Society (GBARS). A permit is required to dive the wreck and all funds are received by GBARS. Day, week or year passes are available for recreational divers. One permit will cover up to four divers.
Charter dives to the Swan Wreck are run by Swan Dive, Busselton.
Daily Pass: HMAS Swan Dive Permit
MOORINGS There are four white moorings for public use.
Once your dive is complete and you are all on board, you must break away from the mooring allowing others to move in.
Moorings will not hold vessels over seven tonnes in adverse weather conditions.
All funds collected from permits pay for the cost of scuttling and ongoing maintenance (mooring etc) as the Swan develops into an artificial reef.