At 44 meters depth the Satara is
outside the limits of a recreational diver, but very accessible with
technical qualifications. The Satara can be done on air. Open
circuit technical divers should aim to do the wreck over two dives.
Rebreather divers can plan to spend a long comfortable dive on the
wreck. This is a big wreck requiring a minimum
of 30 minutes to complete a circumnavigation.
The Satara rests on a sandy bottom with
a scattering of bommies within 30 meters around the wreck. The
bow is relatively intact, and hides a number of interesting artefacts
for those with the patience to hunt for them. The Satara lies
on a generally north-east line. There are some limited penetration
opportunities on the Satara, however the sides have mostly
collapsed.
Visibility on the Satara can reach 30
meters on a good day. Current is usually light near the bottom
but stronger in the water column. Temperature ranges from 14 to
24 degrees.
History:
At 12.15 pm, the Satara stuck Edith
Breaker, a small reef south west of the Big Seal Rock. Another ship, the Orara passed the
Satara, before realising she was in trouble and returning to assist
by rescuing crew from the lifeboats. The last five crew members aboard ended
up in the water when the Satara sank below the surface at 1.10 pm. A third ship, the Dorrigo, arrived on
the scene and rescued these five crew members, including Captain
Hugill.
