The Forster Barge is a modest, shallow wreck off Forster that offers a low-key alternative to the region's much deeper and more historically significant shipwrecks, the SS Satara and SS Catterthun, both of which sit well beyond recreational depth limits. Sitting in a comfortable ten-to-eighteen-metre range, the barge functions much like a small artificial reef, its hull gradually colonised by sponges, soft corals and the invertebrate life typical of the area, and it provides shelter for rays and reef fish on the surrounding sand that would otherwise have little structure to use in this part of the bay. It does not carry the scale or the storied history of the offshore steamship wrecks, and detailed published information about its origin, exact dimensions and sinking date is limited, reflecting its status as a minor, informally known dive rather than a promoted destination.

For visiting divers, the Forster Barge is best understood as an easy, accessible wreck experience — useful for introducing newer divers to wreck diving concepts (orientation around a hull, looking for marine life using the structure for shelter) without any of the depth, current or historical complexity of the Satara or Catterthun. It is not part of Forster Dive Centre's standard daily rotation and is more likely to be dived on request or as a change-of-pace second dive, so visiting divers specifically wanting to see it should ask in advance rather than assume it will be offered. If it does feature on a trip, expect a short, relaxed second dive rather than the main event of the day.

Boats depart from Forster Dive Centre's base at Tuncurry (30 Manning Lane) or the Forster/Tuncurry boat ramp on Wallis Lake, running out through the lake entrance to the open sites. Forster-side sites (Latitude Rock, The Pinnacle, Bennetts Head Bommie) are 10-25 minutes away; Seal Rocks sites are a longer run of roughly 45-60 minutes further south, or reached by launching a boat directly from the Seal Rocks/Sugarloaf Point boat ramp for a much shorter trip.

Forster and Seal Rocks sit on an open, exposed stretch of coast with limited shelter — trips are cancelled in significant easterly swell or strong wind, and operators generally want under 1.5-2 m swell to run safely, especially for the Seal Rocks sites given the longer, more exposed run. Visibility is typically best in autumn and winter (15-30 m) and can drop after East Coast Lows or heavy rain from the Wallis Lake/Myall Lakes catchments. Grey nurse sharks are present through most of the year with the largest aggregations typically reported over the cooler months.

Descend onto the barge and circumnavigate the hull, noting any colonisation by sponges and soft corals, before checking the surrounding sand for rays and reef fish sheltering near the structure.

Occasionally included by Forster Dive Centre as a shallow wreck option; not a headline site on the standard schedule.