In 1963, a crayfisherman, Dave Johnson took two Geraldton divers, Max and Graham Cramer and Greg Allen to the wreck site. They were the first people to dive on the site. Following the discovery of the wreck site in 1963, an expedition was made to the Batavia . Many items were recovered and Edwards published an account of this in Islands of Angry Ghosts . In 1972, the Netherlands Government transferred their rights to the Dutch shipwrecks on the Western Australian coast to the Australian Government.
Legislation is designed to protect all shipwreck sites for the Australian community.
The public is encouraged to explore and enjoy these sites, either in the water or in the museums. All that is asked is that the wreck sites should not be disturbed so that they may be available for future generations. Information sheets about the different wreck sites in Western Australia are available from the Museum. The archaeological excavation Between 1972 and 1976 the Department of Maritime Archaeology conducted a series of excavations of the Batavia . The artefacts from these excavations were treated by the Museum Conservation Laboratory and may now be seen in the Maritime Museum in Fremantle and in the Geraldton Region Museum.