HMAS Swan

The former HMAS Swan, a 113 metre long decommissioned naval destroyer, was scuttled in December 1997.

HMAS Swan was laid down by the Williamstown Dockyard, Melbourne on 16 February 1965. She was launched on 16 December 1967 and decommissioned on 13 September 1996.

Diver access holes were cut through the hull, deck and bulkheads. This allowed easier access to the interior to the ship along with greater light penetration. In most instances a diver can now stay within direct line of sight on an entry/exit point and still explore a significant portion of the Ship.













On 14 December 1997, HMAS Swan was scuttled. The sinking was observed by an estimated 10,000 spectators on shore, plus 600 spectator craft. The actual detonation was performed by a six-year-old child, whose father had won a raffle for the honour. HMAS Swan sank quickly in 31 metres (100 ft), and came to rest on the sandy bottom in a nearly upright position.

The site is now host to an estimated 100 different species of marine life.

The Dive

Date: 31/01/2009
Max: 31m
Avg: 18m
BT: 65mins
RT: 107mins
BG: EAN32
Deco: O2

Who are these guys?

The DIRdudes are a small team of dedicate GUE divers who are based in Perth, Western Australia and who are very active throughout Australia and Southern Asia. In recent years we have become increasingly active in promoting GUE training and awareness both in Perth where we have organised a number of training courses and gradually eroded some negative stereotypes regarding DIR to establish ourselves as respected ambassadors for GUE within the local diving community; and more widely with the creation of our blog and videos.

We have actively participated in a number of GUE hosted diving Expeditions to the South China Seas; made contributions in terms of detailed wreck and historic research; and through the development of 3D models of wreck sites to assist with dive planning, visualisation of objectives and dive safety. We are currently developing articles for publication in GUE’s Quest magazine on a number of topics.

Currently the DIRdudes are:

Richard Walkland
Diving since 1999
DIR since 2003 (1000+ dives)
[PADI Openwater; NAUI Advanced; NAUI Master Diver; GUE Fundamentals; GUE Tech 1; TDI Advance Trimix; TDI Deep Cavern; CDAA Deep Cavern]

Justin Martin
Diving since 1991
DIR since 2006 (1000+ dives)
[PADI Openwater; PADI Advanced; PADI Divemaster; GUE Fundamentals; GUE Tech 1; TDI Advance Trimix; TDI Deep Cavern; CDAA Deep Cavern]

Andrew Robertson
Diving Since 199?
DIR since 2006 (1000+ dives)
[PADI Openwater; PADI Advanced; GUE Fundamentals; GUE Tech 1; CDAA Deep Cavern; CDAA Cave]

As of January 2010 DIRdudes are now an Official GUE Affiliate Group.

This status is available to organizations who seek to support GUE divers with resources, services and training. We have our own gas mixing facilities and our team has access to a sizeable and comprehensive collective resource of dive equipment and scooters which we regularly make available to visiting GUE divers from around the world (with prior arrangement).

Increasingly, we are receiving requests from visiting divers interested in diving with us or new divers interested in GUE training hence our official affiliation. As local GUE ambassadors we are proactive in our promotion of the GUE organization and the desirability of GUE dive instruction.

The DIRdudes are also proud members of the

GUE Team: PerthBoys