The 55-metre crane barge is Newcastle's deepest regularly named wreck, and Grey Nurse Charters describes it plainly as definitely a technical dive. The barge sank in 1991 while under tow: when the tug accelerated, the barge was swamped and went down, and multiple salvage attempts failed. It now lies upside down in about 55 m.

Being twin-hulled and inverted, the barge presents divers with the underside of two hulls rising from the seabed, with the deck and crane structure beneath. The inverted position means the hull tops form a flat, wide platform, and the edges - where the deck meets the sand and the crane gear is crushed or partly exposed - are the most interesting areas. Grey Nurse Charters notes observable marine colonisation after three decades: sponges, gorgonians, ascidians and encrusting growth now cover the steel, and fish gather in numbers around it.

Deep steel structures off the Newcastle coast typically attract schools of yellowtail, nannygai and bullseyes, kingfish and samsonfish, and wobbegongs, and the relative lack of visits means the fish are often unafraid. At 55 m, the dive requires trimix, staged decompression and a well-drilled team. Bottom times are short and decompression long, and currents off Newcastle can make the ascent and hang challenging.

Penetration under an inverted barge is extremely hazardous and should not be attempted. For qualified technical divers, the barge offers a large, uncrowded modern wreck close to Newcastle. Its sheer size means several dives are needed to see all of it, and each visit adds to the limited record of how the structure is changing as it is colonised.

Charters and private boats leave from Newcastle Harbour - the Carrington or Stockton boat ramps, or Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club/Marina precinct on Wharf Road - and run out past Nobbys Head through the harbour entrance, a busy commercial shipping channel where port traffic has right of way and Port Authority rules apply. Parking with trailer bays is available at both ramps. The barge lies off Newcastle in about 55 m; run time depends on the mark, typically 20-30 minutes.

No public mark is published - the dive is organised through Grey Nurse Charters or technical groups.

The Newcastle offshore sites are exposed to the full Tasman swell and generally need less than about 1.5 m of swell and light winds; strong southerlies and north-easterlies both make the run from the harbour uncomfortable. Visibility is the main variable: the Hunter River outflow through the harbour entrance stains the water for days after rain, so the best diving follows a dry spell and is usually timed around high tide, when clean ocean water pushes in. The East Australian Current brings warmer, clearer water from late summer into autumn, while winter can be cold (around 15-16 °C) but surprisingly clear.

As a 55 m technical dive with long decompression, it needs a stable forecast, light current and flat seas for hang time.

Descend the shot to the upturned hulls, tour the outside of the twin hulls and the edges where the crane structure meets the seabed, and return to the shot at the planned time for a staged decompression ascent.

Trimix bottom gas (e.g. 18/35 or per team standard), EAN50/O2 decompression; full redundancy; SMB/reel for drifting deco.

Grey Nurse Charters dives the Newcastle wrecks and reefs by arrangement from Newcastle Harbour and Swansea; Dive Newcastle and local clubs dive them from private boats. There is no fixed daily schedule - trips run on demand and conditions.