Down the middle of Perth, Australia, the Swan River and its tributaries run, providing natural habitats for huge numbers of aquatic flora and fauna. Approximately 240 km long, the Swan River is a salt-water tidal river. It contains an extraordinary diversity of marine life, as well as hundreds of bird species for viewing above the water line. The Swan Estuary Marine Park provides protection for three of the biologically diverse areas along the Swan River, including Alfred Cove, Pelican Point, and Milyu.
Life in Swan Estuary
The marine park is protective of a huge variety of river life, including over 130 species of fish found in its waters, as well as prawns, crabs, and mussels, along with the algae and plankton they feed upon. You’ll even spot an occasional dolphin or shark in these waters. In cove areas, the waters shelter mussels that date back several thousand years, but it’s the younger delicacies that are sought by wading birds in the area.
Divers regularly frequent the Swan River for both recreational and gustatory pleasures. Some divers hunt for its prawns, scallops, crabs, mussels, and fish for food. But others come to enjoy the teeming underwater life that is so colorful and varied. The estuarine system is home to cephalopods – squid, octopus, and cuttlefish, and even an occasional stingray. And schools of juvenile fish species dart everywhere, including red gurnard, pink snapper, and boarfish.
The marine park can be an underwater photographer’s dream. Unusual and colorful species make for great photographic specimens, such as the fingered dragonet Dactylopus, whose pectoral fins resemble nothing so much as fingers, and whose brightly colored dorsal fin display is as proud as a peacock’s. You’ll also find creatures, such as the sea moth Pegasus volitans, that look like they stepped out of a horror movie.
At night, diving in the Swan Estuary Marine Park takes on a whole new meaning, particularly in areas around moorings and boat wrecks, where a variety of creatures come out to swim or nestle amid sponges, including nudibranchs, holothurians, decorator crabs, starfish, dragonets, bubble shells, and seahorses.
Sheltered Dive Sites
The marine park provides easy access for diving along with many sheltered dive locations. On both sides of the river, there are numerous jetties, car parks, and beaches. Several popular dive sites have easy beach access.
For example, Bicton Baths is just a short distance from the Port of Fremantle, and is an ideal site for the beginning diver. The jetty there provides the perfect height for practicing giant stride entries. Upon entry, the river bottom slopes down to a depth of between two and fifteen meters. Once underwater, you’ll spot nudibranchs, bream, lilac and white anemones, flounder, green and red spotted dragonets, and orange sea horses. Dolphins occasionally pass by, as well as the famed black swans of Perth.
At Point Walter, on the river’s south shore, blue-ringed octopuses are commonly sighted. It’s a popular site on weekends for picnics, swimming, and fishing, as well as diving. With lots of shady trees, public facilities, and a jetty, it’s a great place for both relaxing and for recreational diving. The site is often used for dive training courses.
Other shore dives in the area include Blackwall Reach, also on the south shore, and Coombe and Mead’s on the northern shore. River depths range from about 5 to a maximum 21 meters.
While diving in the middle of a metropolitan river may sound counterintuitive at first, you’ll be pleasantly surprised once you take the plunge. With easy access, beautiful surroundings, and vivid, plentiful underwater river life, it’s definitely worth the visit.