| WEST
COAST DIVE PARK
The
dive park is located off the coast of Rockingham, approximately
45kms south of Perth. The specific location of the Saxon
Ranger is within Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, an area
renowned for it's safe calm waters, pristine beaches,
an abundance of aquatic activities including spectacular
snorkeling trails, windsurfing, recreational fishing,
dolphin interaction, sea lions and rare fairy pengiuns.
Recreational dive permits must be purchased to dive the
Saxon Ranger and must be displayed on the vessel. The
permit cost is based on a vessel carrying up to four (4)
divers at a time with a two hour time allocation on the
moorings.
Dive shops in Rockingham supply all necessary equipment
to undertake safe diving and conduct regular dive charters.
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DIVE
PERMITS
DAY
WEEK
ANNUAL |
$25 inc GST
$50 inc GST
$125 inc GST
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The
Saxon Ranger
The
400 tonne former fishing vessel, known as the Saxon
Ranger is the first purpose sunk dive wreck in the
Perth metropolitan area.
The Saxon Ranger (formerly Atlantic Seal) was built
around 1960 in Grimsby, England at a cost of 100,000
pounds to work as a side trawler in the North Atlantic
ocean. The vessel is 37metres in length with a beam
of 9metres and hosted a crew of 17.
Owned by the British Trawler Company, arrangements
were made in 1974 for the vessel to be used to develop
a southern fishery off Albany.
It was later sold and arrived in Australian waters
working around Tasmania and Albany WA with occasional
trips into the Antarctic.
The first catch of 52 tonne of fish was blockaded
by unions and had to be hand filleted on board.
Continually plagued with 'bad luck' the vessel suffered
numerous breakdowns, broke moorings, ran out of
fuel, and was finally salvaged from the shores of
Rockingham after a gale in 2003.
Considered a jinx, the Saxon Ranger now lies in
25metres of water amongst other sunken wrecks on
the seabed floor of the West Coast Dive Park. |
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