Benan

Meet the site

The Benan was a 1,415-ton, 74 m iron barque that was set onto Ningaloo Reef on the night of 23 December 1888 by an uncharted north-west current. It lies in Jane's Bay, Ningaloo Station, from 3 m at the bow to 9 m at the stern and rudder.

Divingwawrecks describes it as a huge, clean site with easily distinguishable features and abundant marine life: numerous anchors, mast sections, ship's machinery and a few portholes fused to the reef among twisted wreckage. It is one of the hardest sites to reach and requires swell under 0.5 m. It is protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act.

The Point Cloates coast: the stretch of Ningaloo between Coral Bay and Yardie Creek is a notorious ship trap where the reef lies close to the shipping route and an uncharted north-west current set vessels onto the reef. The WA wreck-diving guide divingwawrecks lists nine wrecks here, from the 1811 Rapid to the 1931 Chofuku Maru. All are remote, require a private boat, calm seas and self-sufficiency, and are protected historic sites — look, photograph and leave everything in place.

Planning notes: Open Water certification is recommended and the site is rated advanced. Expect to spend most of the dive around 6 m, with a maximum of about 9 m. Access is by boat only, and site selection depends on wind, swell and tide on the day. Best season: April–October on glassy days. Traffic: remote/expedition only.

What you might see

Reef fish, coral, turtles, reef sharks

Location

Wreck of a 74 m iron barque in Jane's Bay, Ningaloo Station, lying 3–9 m on the reef.

Facilities nearby

None; remote station coast. Air in Coral Bay or Exmouth.