The SS Byron is one of the least-known wrecks on the Newcastle coast. Grey Nurse Charters lists her in its Swansea-area site guide as a timber-built vessel in about 40 m, roughly 1 km off Redhead, and notes that the wreck has not been dived since 1996 and that information is pending. That makes her more of a target for exploration than a regular dive site.

Redhead is the prominent headland between Dudley and Belmont on the coast south of Newcastle, and the seabed off it drops to 40 m surprisingly close to shore. Any timber vessel lying there for decades will have lost much of its structure; divers who have seen similar wrecks on this coast, such as the Commonwealth off Terrigal, find machinery - boilers, engines, shafts - and a scatter of fastenings, with the wooden hull largely gone. Machinery on sand at this depth typically attracts yellowtail, bullseyes, nannygai and wobbegongs, and carries sponges and gorgonian growth.

Without a verified recent description, the SS Byron should be approached as a technical exploration dive. At 40 m, decompression is needed for any meaningful survey time, and the team must locate the wreck itself using sounder and historic marks. The benefit is the chance to document a wreck that few people have seen in decades.

It is included here for completeness as a documented wreck site in the region; divers interested in visiting should contact Grey Nurse Charters or local technical groups, and any findings would be a useful update to the historical record. As with all historic shipwrecks in NSW, nothing may be disturbed or removed.

Boats launch from the public ramps inside Swansea Channel, either at Black Neds Bay beside the Swansea Bridge or at the Swansea/Lake Macquarie ramps, about 25 km south of Newcastle via the Pacific Highway. Parking with trailer bays is available at Black Neds Bay. The run is east along the channel, across the Swansea bar (check the bar and tide first - cross on the flood where possible) and a short distance out to the site; the wreck lies about 1 km off Redhead, a 15-20 minute run north from the Swansea bar.

Boats from Newcastle Harbour can also run south past Merewether and Dudley. There is no published mark.

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.

If located, descend a shot to the wreck, conduct a short survey within the planned bottom time and complete decompression on the line.

Nitrox/trimix and decompression planning required; carry reel and SMB; historic shipwreck protections apply.

No regular operator; Grey Nurse Charters lists it but notes it has not been dived since 1996. Would require a technical team with its own mark.