The Raven is the most elusive of the charted Rottnest wrecks, and a dive for wreck hunters rather than sightseers. She was a British-built, three-masted wooden barque of about 343 tons. On 11 March 1891 she left Fremantle for Bunbury in ballast and, according to the WA Museum trail, sailed under a drunken skipper who put her onto the reefs of the South Passage near Dyer Island. No lives were lost, but the ship broke up.

What survives is modest. The WA Museum describes the wreckage as partly buried in sand and weed in about 6 m and difficult to distinguish from the surrounding reef, while divingwawrecks notes only hull sheathing, fastenings and ballast stones spread over a flat reef floor and hidden by kelp. A plinth marks the site. Sources give tonnage as 343-344 tons and depth as around 6 m.

The reef itself is typical of the South Passage: flat limestone with kelp and weed, bream, wrasse and old wives, and occasional larger fish moving through from the open sea. If you are anchored near Dyer Island for the Lady Elizabeth or Crystal Palace, the Raven offers a short, shallow second dive with a treasure-hunt element; on its own it is rarely worth the trip. Protected historic shipwreck - look for, but do not move, anything you find. Bring a torch and a slate with the plinth position: in kelp it is easy to swim straight past the ballast mound, and a methodical search pattern from the plinth works far better than wandering. The wreck is a good exercise in underwater search technique for club divers.

Charter boats from Fremantle (Perth Scuba's Blue Destiny, Bucket List Diver, Dolphin Scuba) run across Gage Roads and round the east end of Rottnest to the south coast in roughly 50-70 minutes. Private boats launch at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, Woodman Point or Hillarys; run to the south-east side of Dyer Island (about 20 km from Fremantle) and approach through the South Passage with care, as the reefs are shallow. Use the plinth GPS and anchor on sand clear of the reef.

No regular charter visits.

Exposed to swell funnelling through the South Passage from the south-west; dive only in low swell (under about 1 m) with northerly or easterly winds, ideally on calm summer mornings. Kelp surge makes searching difficult in any swell. General pattern at Rottnest: summer brings calm morning easterlies followed by a strong south-westerly sea breeze from late morning, so dive early; winter brings north-westerly fronts and large swell, with clear, calm spells between them.

Check the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast for swell height and period before committing.

Descend at the plinth and search outward in a slow expanding circle through the kelp for sheathing, fastenings and ballast stones; return to the plinth before ascending. Agree a turn pressure before descending (half gas, or a third where current is likely), carry a DSMB, and make a 3-minute safety stop at 5 m.

No regular operator - private boats and dive clubs (UWA Underwater Club) only; occasionally combined with the Lady Elizabeth. Nearest dive services: Perth Scuba, Bucket List Diver and Dolphin Scuba (Perth/Fremantle) run Rottnest boat trips; there are no dive shops or air fills on the island.