The Amanda Lee was an 18–20 m steel commercial trepang (bêche-de-mer) boat, donated by Tasmanian Seafoods for the NT artificial reef program and scuttled at Fenton Patches in 2011. Trepang fishing has a long history on the northern coast – Macassan fishermen harvested sea cucumbers here for centuries before European settlement – and this vessel was part of the modern commercial version of that fishery.

Unlike most of the Fenton wrecks she did not land upright: the Amanda Lee lies on her port side on a sand bottom in about 25–28 m. That orientation gives the dive a different character. The starboard side of the hull forms a steel wall rising several metres off the sand, the deck faces sideways, and the wheelhouse, hand rails and fittings are presented edge-on. The most striking feature is the large Kort nozzle – the steel duct around the propeller that gives trawlers extra thrust – which sits clearly visible at the stern.

DSAC notes substantial coral growth over the wreck, which is notable for turbid Beagle Gulf water: soft corals, sea whips, sponges and encrusting growth cover much of the upper hull, and the overhang formed by the deck side shelters fish. Several species have made the wreck home, including snapper, cod, trevally, batfish and schooling baitfish, with the occasional big groper or jewfish tucked under the deck edge.

Because she is on her side, the Amanda Lee should not be penetrated; doorways are at awkward angles and silt collects in every compartment. The dive is an exterior tour that takes 20 minutes or so at slack water. It pairs naturally with Galah and Heron, which lies very close by, and with Marchart 3. The site suits advanced divers who are comfortable at 25 m-plus in open water with variable visibility, and photographers who want a wreck with a recognisable feature in the Kort nozzle.

Fenton Patches lies about 17 nautical miles (roughly 31 km) north-west of Darwin in open water beyond the harbour mouth, so it is a boat-only site. Club and charter boats usually launch from the Cullen Bay ramp and marina (Marina Boulevard, Larrakeyah – ample trailer parking) or from Dinah Beach / Sadgroves Creek ramps inside the harbour, then run out past East Point and across Beagle Gulf. In a fast 6–7 m trailer boat allow roughly an hour each way in trade-wind chop; slower in a southeasterly above 15 knots.

There are no public moorings: the site is found on GPS and sounder, and a shot line or grapnel is dropped on the structure. Private boats need a competent skipper who can work the tide and keep a boat cover on the surface while divers are down.

Fenton Patches is open water in Beagle Gulf with no shelter. Dive it only on neap tides and time the dive for slack water (typically a window of 30–60 minutes around the turn; Darwin's tidal range reaches 7–8 m on springs and currents at Fenton run hard outside slack). The dry season (May–October) brings the south-east trades: mornings are usually calm, but a 15–20 knot south-easterly by late morning makes the run back uncomfortable, so plan an early start.

The build-up (October–December) brings glassy days but storms in the afternoon; the wet season (December–April) brings north-westerly monsoon winds, heavy run-off that cuts visibility, cyclone risk (November–April) and box jellyfish in the water. Visibility is best after several days of neaps and no rain.

Descend the shot to the upturned starboard side, which is the shallowest part of the wreck. Swim around the hull at 24–28 m, starting with the stern where the large Kort nozzle and rudder are the signature feature, then follow the deck side past the wheelhouse and rails. Keep off the silty sand under the deck edge.

Return over the hull to the shot and ascend before the tide turns.

No daily operator. Darwin Sub Aqua Club (DSAC) runs member boat dives to Fenton Patches on suitable neap-tide weekends in the dry season; Dive Darwin (learntodivedarwin.com.au) and Western Blue Dive Charters offer outer-harbour/offshore wreck trips on demand when tides and weather line up. Otherwise private boat only.