Zvir

Meet the site

The Zvir is regarded as one of the cleanest and most impressive wreck sites on the West Australian coast. The steel screw steamer (recorded as 100 m and 2,100–3,353 tons) went aground on 27 November 1902 in Norwegian Bay while carrying sugar from Java to Adelaide.

The wreck site spans about 120 m in roughly 10 m of water. The bow is surrounded by coral; along the site lie deck plating and winches, a two-cylinder steam engine, three boilers and a spare propeller, then 40 m of propeller shaft leading to the still-upright rudder and four-bladed propeller at the stern — the site's most photogenic feature.

It lies within a sanctuary zone and needs swell under 1 m and 15+ m visibility for a good dive.

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 8 m, with a maximum of about 10 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 on wreckage, turtles, reef sharks

Location

Wreck of a 100 m steel screw steamer in Norwegian Bay on Ningaloo Reef, in about 10 m within a sanctuary zone.

Facilities nearby

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