The RMS Orizaba was a hug ship that has been broken in several pieces and experiences huge swells and currents.
| Name Dive Site: | RMS Orizaba |
| Depth: | 5-12m (16-39ft) |
| Visibility: | 5-10m (16-32ft) |
| Accessibility: | Boat |
| Inserted/Added by: | perthscuba |
| Rated: | Rated not yet |
| Specifications: |   |
| GPS: | S32°16.978', E115°37.595' |
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The RMS Orizaba is arguably the biggest and most spectacular wreck off our coast; well she would be if the ocean swells hadn't done their work. She is a great dive though and it is hard to imagine such a large ship could collapse down to so little. Her history is amazing, the coast hidden by a haze of bush fires, her skipper actually thought he was entering in towards Fremantle, she crossed the shallow Five Fathom Bank, then when he realized his mistake he turned around to head back out to deeper water and then got stuck on the reef; talk about a sad tale!
She was a 3325 ton Orient Liner and was visible off the coast for many years until salvage and erosion finally took her below the water line. Beware if you are doing this wreck in seas above 1mtr swell, as this is the shallowest rise this side of Africa, the smallest swell causes tremendous surge and if you go sticking your head in a hole, you may just get sucked in or hurt badly. We prefer this site around March/April on a day when the swell has been less than 1mtr for about a week.
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Name: bellscuba
The RMS (Royal Mail Steamer) Orizaba sank on the Five Fathom Bank just off Rockingham at the turn of the century. It is now well broken up but there are still massive sections of the vessel to explore. As the wreck is well broken up you need to be careful of sharp metal, the area is also prone to surge as it lies in open ocean. Don't forget to take a look at the reef as well since it is beautiful. The best time to dive here is when there is a small swell and little wind.
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