The Bellubera was the longest-serving of the classic Manly ferries and the last of the Long Reef ferry wrecks to go down. Built at Mort's Dock, Woolwich, and launched on 26 April 1910, she was a 64 m (210 ft), 499-ton double-ended steamer that was converted to diesel-electric drive in 1935, one of the first such conversions in the world, and re-engined with English Electric units in 1954. A fire in 1936 killed three crew, and she had a reputation as a hard-working but unlucky ship.

She made her last run to Manly on 29 November 1973 after 63 years and, stripped of engines and fittings, was scuttled off Long Reef on 1 August 1980. She broke in two on the way down and now lies east–west on her side in 45–46 m as two sections about 30 m apart. The eastern piece is the more rewarding: the bow is intact, the rudder assembly and propeller boss are visible, and the hull, though badly twisted on both sides, is open enough for simple, well-lit penetrations through the passenger spaces.

The western section is a jumble of frames and plating. Because the highest point is only 41–42 m, the profile is a little more forgiving than the Dee Why, and locals describe it as a fairly easy deep wreck with some simple swim-throughs. Fish life is the best of the group: huge schools of nannygai fill the hull, and very large sergeant bakers sit on the plating.

Visibility is often 7–15 m, lower than the outer wrecks because the site is closer to the Narrabeen shore. Traditional navigation marks align Bangalley Head with the ridge north of Broken Bay and the Bahai Temple between two houses, though GPS has replaced them. The Bellubera suits decompression divers who like fish and structure together, and it completes the trio of Manly ferries with the Dee Why and the shallower Baragoola story elsewhere; for ferry enthusiasts it is the most historic hull on the coast.

Boat only. Charters and private boats usually launch from the Roseville Bridge ramp on Middle Harbour or Rose Bay/Manly in Sydney Harbour and run north up the coast past North Head, Manly and Dee Why (roughly 45–60 minutes at cruising speed), or from the Akuna Bay/Pittwater ramps and run south past Barrenjoey (similar time). There is no all-weather ramp on the Northern Beaches ocean coast itself.

The wrecks lie on a flat sand plain and cannot be seen from the surface; you need accurate GPS and a sounder, and must drop the anchor or shot line directly onto structure because it will not hold in the sand. A drifting decompression station with spare gas is the normal arrangement.

The Long Reef wreck ground is 4–5 km offshore in open water with no lee. Any southerly or north-easterly swell above about 1.5 m makes anchoring on the wreck and the long decompression hang unpleasant or unsafe; charters generally want under 1 m swell and under 15 knots. Surface current from the East Australian Current can run north–south across the site even when the bottom is still, so a drifting deco station or a strong anchor line is essential.

Visibility is best from late autumn through winter (15–25 m) when the water is clear and cool; summer brings warmer water but more plankton and thermoclines. Avoid the days after heavy rain when the Narrabeen and Hawkesbury outflows dirty the inshore water. Mornings before the sea breeze are calmest.

Shot the eastern (bow) section, which rises to 41–42 m. Explore the intact bow, rudder and prop position, pass through the broken hull into the open interior, then take a bearing west across about 30 m of sand to the western section if visibility allows. Return to the shot for decompression.

Decompression dive. Typical plans use trimix (e.g. 21/35) or air/EANx with 50% and/or 100% O2 deco gases; 20–25 minutes bottom time gives 30–50 minutes of decompression. Twin cylinders or CCR with bailout, reel/line for any penetration, DSMB and surface support boat mandatory.

Silt inside compartments; several fatalities have occurred on this wreck group, so treat penetrations as overhead dives.

No scheduled recreational charters. Sydney Dive Charters (Rose Bay/Manly) runs technical charters to the Long Reef wreck area on demand for T1/Tec45+ certified divers; otherwise private boats and technical dive clubs launching from Roseville, Akuna Bay or Rose Bay ramps. Expect a handful of visits per year.