The SS Osprey is the deepest and best preserved of the three old vessels scuttled off Newcastle in 1931. Grey Nurse Charters records that she was built in Dundee, Scotland, in 1885 as the Eagle, later renamed Osprey, and scuttled on 27 November 1931. She lies upright on sand in 42 m and, unusually for a wreck of her age, is described as intact.

That intactness is what makes the dive. Instead of the scattered machinery typical of nineteenth-century steamers, divers find a recognisable ship sitting on its keel, with hull, deck line and fittings in place. Grey Nurse Charters describes it as offering excellent exploration opportunities.

Sponges, gorgonians and encrusting growth cover the hull after more than 90 years, and schools of fish use the wreck as shelter. The Osprey has a seasonal highlight: Grey Nurse Charters notes that it is a Port Jackson shark breeding site from July to September, when numbers of these docile, harness-patterned sharks gather around the wreck and the surrounding reef and sand to mate and lay eggs. Seeing dozens of them at depth around an intact wreck is a memorable experience.

At 42 m this is a decompression dive for any practical bottom time, and narcosis on air is significant. It suits trained technical divers using appropriate gases, or very experienced deep divers under a planned decompression profile. Penetration of an old, intact wreck at this depth adds serious risk and should be left to properly trained and equipped teams.

For those qualified, the Osprey is one of the best-preserved scuttled wrecks on the NSW coast.

Charters and private boats leave from Newcastle Harbour - the Carrington or Stockton boat ramps, or Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club/Marina precinct on Wharf Road - and run out past Nobbys Head through the harbour entrance, a busy commercial shipping channel where port traffic has right of way and Port Authority rules apply. Parking with trailer bays is available at both ramps. The Osprey is off Newcastle, roughly 20-25 minutes from the harbour.

No public mark is published; the site is reached with Grey Nurse Charters or technical groups with the position.

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.

Descend the shot to the deck, tour the intact hull bow to stern from outside, and check the sand around the wreck for resting Port Jackson sharks in season. Return to the shot at the planned time and complete decompression.

Trimix recommended; decompression gas; redundant gas; penetration only with wreck-penetration training and line. Historic shipwreck protections apply.

Grey Nurse Charters dives the Newcastle wrecks and reefs by arrangement from Newcastle Harbour and Swansea; Dive Newcastle and local clubs dive them from private boats. There is no fixed daily schedule - trips run on demand and conditions.