The Fairey Firefly VX381 is one of the best-preserved aircraft wrecks in Australian waters. Delivered to the Royal Navy on 6 December 1948 and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy on 7 April 1949, the AS.5 anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft flew with 816 Squadron from HMAS Albatross at Nowra and may have served aboard the carrier HMAS Sydney during the Korean War period.

On 27 November 1956, during a training exercise over Jervis Bay in which aircraft were flying circles in opposite directions, the starboard wingtip of VX381 struck Firefly WD887. WD887 crashed and its crew, Sub Lieutenant Arundel and Midshipman Fogarty, were never recovered. The pilot of VX381, Sub Lieutenant Eagles, ditched the damaged aircraft, and he and his observer-pupil, Midshipman Debus, were rescued by a Sycamore helicopter. The wreck was found in 1983 by local diver Charlie Pickering.

VX381 rests flat on sand in 13 m, facing east, and is largely intact. The four-bladed propeller sits in an X configuration with straight blades, showing the engine was not running when she hit the water. The cockpit is open on the right with the canopy pulled back and the seat and harness still visible; behind it the observer's cabin is open. The starboard wing is buried in sand, the port wing is clear and largely undamaged, and the tail is intact though the tailplane is deteriorating. Some gauges were stolen after discovery. At 13 m with a 13 m wingspan and 12 m length, it is a one-tank dive suitable for all levels. Treat it as a war-era memorial and a protected relic. Afterwards, the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross displays an airworthy Firefly.

Launch at Callala Bay or Huskisson (Currambene Creek) and head to 35° 00.889' S 150° 44.319' E in the north-western corner of the bay (about 10–15 minutes). The aircraft and schooling fish show on the sounder. Drop a weighted buoy or anchor well off on the sand to avoid damaging the wreck.

Local operators know the site but marks are not widely publicised.

Inside Jervis Bay the water is sheltered from ocean swell, but the bay is big enough for wind chop: strong north-easterlies (summer afternoons) make the western and southern shores choppy, and southerly or westerly winds affect the northern shore less. Diving is possible on most days of the year at one shore or another. Visibility is usually 8–15 m, better in winter, and drops after heavy rain when Currambene Creek and Moona Moona Creek flush tannin water into the bay.

Tides are small but high tide gives better visibility at the beach entries. The Firefly lies in open water in the bay and can be windy on the surface; strong southerlies and north-easterlies both create a chop over the site.

Descend the buoy line to the sand, approach the propeller and examine its unbent four-blade X configuration, then the open cockpit with seat and harness, the observer's cabin behind, the exposed port wing, and the tail. One tank is plenty; do slow laps and avoid contact with the fragile tail and wings.

Protected under historic/underwater cultural heritage provisions (aircraft wreck) – no removal or disturbance.

Dive Jervis Bay (Huskisson; boats Avalon and Genesis) runs double boat dives most days, and Deep 6 Diving Jervis Bay / other Huskisson operators also visit; site chosen on the day according to swell and wind. Visited occasionally on request; also a club and private-boat favourite.