Albany · Australia · Wreck · Artificial reef
HMAS Perth II
A 133 m destroyer on a fixed mooring, 5 m down to 36 m
Area photo: Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0
The former HMAS Perth, a 133 m guided missile destroyer, was scuttled off Seal Island in 2001 to be used as a dive site. The wreck spans 5 m at its shallowest to 36 m at the bottom, visibility averages 10-15 m, and it is dived on a fixed mooring about 20 minutes out from the Albany Town Marina.
Where it is and how deep
35.0795° S, 117.9682° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck spans 5 m to 36 m and carries a fixed mooring, so the descent and the ascent are both on a known line rather than a free drop. With 133 m of destroyer below you and 10-15 m of visibility, you take in one part of the ship at a time: orientation comes from the hull itself, so pick a side, follow it, and keep track of the way back to the mooring.
The deepest ground is at 36 m and bottom time goes quickly down there, so the deep end is worth working early and leaving gas for the shallower structure. There is more ship here than a single dive covers - 133 m of it - which is why a dive on the Perth II is a section of the vessel rather than a lap of the whole thing.
The steel is well colonised. Wobbegongs, breaksea cod and blue devils are on and around the plating, and nudibranchs work the shallower surfaces. Pink snapper, queen snapper and Samson fish come past the open deck, and small reef fish cover the structure in numbers. The shallowest part of the wreck is at about 5 m, which leaves somewhere unhurried to spend the end of the dive.
The wreck
- Vessel
- HMAS Perth
- Type
- Guided missile destroyer
- Length
- 133 m (436 ft)
- Sunk
- 2001
- Cause
- Scuttled off Seal Island in 2001 to be used as a dive site
- Lies
- Off Seal Island in 35-36 m of water, shallowest structure at about 5 m
Marine life and season
- Wobbegongs
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Albany: Charters run year-round; December to March is the dry, warm half of the year, June to August the wet half with July the wettest month, and the whales are in the Sound July to October.
Know before you go
- The site bottoms out at 36 m, well past open-water limits: plan the deep part first, keep it short, and leave the shallower structure for the end of the dive.
- Visibility averages 10-15 m on a ship 133 m long, so you see one section at a time - stay with the mooring line or a guide rather than navigating by the wreck's outline.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the HMAS Perth II wreck?+
The site runs 5-36 m: the shallowest structure is at about 5 m and the deepest ground alongside the hull is at 36 m.
What certification do I need for the HMAS Perth II?+
The local catalogue rates the wreck for Open Water divers and above. The deepest part of the site is 36 m, though, so diving the full profile needs training and experience beyond entry level.
How do you get to the HMAS Perth II?+
It is a boat dive only, about 20 minutes from the Albany Town Marina, and there is a fixed mooring on the wreck.
Sources
- HMAS Perth II (Scubago) — Scubago
- King George Sound — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
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