The SS Kiama was a working coastal collier - a 'sixty-miler' of the kind that shuttled coal between Newcastle and Sydney almost like clockwork. Pro Dive Central Coast describes her as a reliable, profitable workhorse whose loss hit local families, because the crew were well-known coast residents. Muddy Puddle Diver records her as built in 1921 in Yorkshire, a steel steamer of 51.2 m, and she sank on 19 January 1951 on a voyage from Newcastle to Sydney with coal.

Caught in a storm off The Entrance bommies, her crew fought to save her, but COAST Magazine records that her cargo shifted and she capsized; six of the twelve crew survived. She lies in about 45-47 m. Pro Dive notes that the most prominent features are the large boiler and the engine lying off to the port side, and that artefacts are still discoverable around the site; the Marine Life Network likewise describes the boiler and the engine lying on its side.

As the hull has deteriorated, the machinery stands out on the sand with plating and frames around it, providing structure for fish and encrusting growth. Fish life is typical of the region's deep wrecks: schools of yellowtail and bullseyes around the boiler and engine, wobbegongs among the plates, and passing kingfish and nannygai. Sponges and small gorgonians grow on the upper surfaces.

Pro Dive is clear that this is a dive for experienced deep divers. At 45 m-plus, decompression is unavoidable for a useful bottom time and narcosis on air is significant, so trimix and technical training are the sensible approach. The Kiama is one of seven or eight wrecks between Norah Head and Broken Bay reachable from Terrigal, and a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by the sixty-miler crews well into the 1950s.

All boat dives in this area launch from the Terrigal Haven boat ramp at the southern end of Terrigal Beach, tucked behind The Skillion headland. From the Central Coast Highway follow Terrigal Drive into Terrigal, then Kurrawyba Avenue and Terrigal Esplanade to The Haven, where there is a paid car park beside the ramp; Pro Dive Central Coast's shop is a short walk away and gear is loaded on the ramp or the adjacent beach. Private boats need a ramp with good parking early on weekends as the car park fills by mid-morning in summer.

From The Haven the run north past Bateau Bay to the waters off Toowoon Bay and The Entrance takes about 20 minutes. Boats can also launch at Norah Head (Cabbage Tree Bay) and run south. McFadyen lists the position as 33°22.2380'S 151°32.9180'E in 47 m.

Terrigal's offshore reefs are open to the Tasman Sea and are dived only when swell is below roughly 1.5 m; a north-east sea breeze building through the afternoon in summer and strong southerlies after a front are the usual reasons trips are cancelled, so morning departures are the norm. The Haven boat ramp is sheltered by The Skillion but the run out past the headland can be lumpy in a south-easterly. Visibility is best in late summer and autumn when the East Australian Current pushes warm blue water inshore, and worst after heavy rain when Terrigal Lagoon, Wamberal Lagoon and Avoca Lagoon open and stain the inshore water.

Winter water is cooler (around 15-17 °C) but often clear. Deep wrecks also need little current: with the East Australian Current running, lines can stream out and a drifting ascent in open water becomes likely, so operators often wait for neaps or a quiet current day.

Descend the shot to the boiler, the highest point. Explore the engine lying to port and the surrounding hull and artefact areas at 45-47 m, then return to the shot on time and complete decompression on the line.

Trimix recommended; decompression gas; redundant gas mandatory. Protected historic shipwreck (over 50 years).

Pro Dive Central Coast lists a scheduled SS Kiama wreck charter for experienced deep divers; Central Coast Divers and Terrigal Underwater Group also dive it on demand.