By Kelsey Reid and Kelly Gudgeon, ABC
Quoin Sellenger with the safe in Shark Bay. Photo: Quoin Sellenger
Along a coast known for its historic shipwrecks, the discovery of a safe on the ocean floor off Western Australia's Gascoyne was always going to generate interest.
That interest only grew last week when a local resident retrieved the safe from the Indian Ocean in Shark Bay, 820 kilometres north of Perth.
Inside was a stranger kind of treasure: a salty, well-preserved snack - a potent, but expired packet of beef jerky.
X marks the spot
Quoin Sellenger's curiosity was piqued when a friend spotted the safe on the ocean floor through the bay's crystal-clear waters.
"There is a little reef between Denham and Eagle Bluff, and he was diving there with his family and his boat was drifting off, and he rang me up," Sellenger said.
"He said, 'Quoin, I have found a safe in the ocean.'
Sellenger's friend left the find on the ocean floor and suggested reporting it to the police.
Instead, armed with the co-ordinates and a jet ski, Sellenger and his 13-year-old daughter Belle decided to retrieve the heavy-duty safe themselves.
Together, the duo were just able to lift the heavy box from the sea floor onto the back of the jetski.
He posted a picture to the local Facebook group in search of the owner of the treasure.
"A lot of jokes like 'yeah that belongs in Safety Bay', or 'it looks like it's in safe hands,'" he said.
"A lot of dad jokes, it makes for entertainment, and I think people are as intrigued as I am about finding a safe in the ocean of all places in Shark Bay."
The unveiling
With the safe's owner a mystery, Sellenger roped in another friend - Brad the builder.
With a strong smell emitting from the unit, he was unsure what they were in store for when the safe was cracked open.
"To be honest, especially cause my mate wouldn't pick it up and take it, I was actually nervous," he said.
"I actually didn't want to be there on my own, opening up a safe from the ocean."
Builder Brad gets to work on opening the safe in Denham to discover what is inside. Photo: Quoin Sellenger
Using an angle grinder to carve a hole in the back of the safe, the duo pulled out a couple of hinges and a 30g packet of what is advertised as the world's hottest beef jerky.
"I was hoping there was like a big gold bar in there, I guess," Sellenger said.
"I knew there was something inside it cause it rattled, it made a noise.
"But a pack of beef jerky, I think someone's actually playing a prank on someone.
"It's a very well-known reef in Shark Bay, and someone has put it there with the intention of it being found, I believe."
The jerky looks to have expired four years ago.
Quoin Sellenger with the recovered goods, which appear to have expired in 2022. Photo: Quoin Sellenger
Sellenger said he had found a number of items on the coastline over the years, but the safe was a first.
"I've grown up in Shark Bay, I've lived here my whole life, we find old bottles, and you know things washed up on the beach and over at Dirk Hartog Island," he said.
"But no, nothing as interesting as a safe."
Sellenger has since handed in the safe to WA Police.
-ABC