The SV Durisdeer is one of the Stockton Beach shipwrecks that lie in the surf north of Newcastle. Grey Nurse Charters records that she was a 989-ton, three-masted iron barquentine built in 1864 in Glasgow, and that she ran aground on Stockton Beach with a crew of 18, all of whom were rescued. Today the wreck lies on its port side in about 5 m, with large iron masts pointing out to sea.

Iron masts on a sailing ship of this era were hollow tubes, and seeing them lying across the sand is the most striking part of the dive. Grey Nurse Charters notes that moving sand varies how much of the wreck is visible - after big seas, more of the hull, frames and fittings may be exposed; after calm periods, the sand may cover much of it. Being so shallow and so close to the beach, the Durisdeer can be done as either a boat or a shore dive.

Marine life is typical of a surf-zone wreck: bream, whiting, luderick, tailor and flathead around the structure, stingrays and shovelnose rays on the sand, and encrusting weed and barnacles on the iron. The site is highly condition-dependent. It needs flat seas and offshore winds, visibility is often limited, and surf makes entry and exit challenging.

On the right day, though, it offers a rare chance to see a nineteenth-century sailing ship's masts on the seabed in snorkel-to-5 m depths. It suits experienced Open Water divers with surf entry skills, or snorkellers on the calmest days. It is a protected historic shipwreck.

By car, take the Stockton Bridge from Newcastle (or the Stockton ferry from Queens Wharf) and drive north along Fullerton Street/Nelson Bay Road to beach access points north of Stockton; parts of Stockton Beach require a 4WD beach permit. Ask Grey Nurse Charters or local divers for the current position. Shore divers walk down to the beach and swim out through the surf zone to the wreck in about 5 m; boat divers run north from Newcastle Harbour in 10-20 minutes.

Stockton Beach is a long, open surf beach facing south-east, and the wreck lies in the surf zone. It can only be dived on flat days with swell under about 0.5-1 m and ideally westerly winds that flatten the break. Sand movement constantly changes how much of the wreck is exposed.

Visibility is often poor because of the surf and the Hunter River plume; the best chance is after dry weather on a high tide.

Enter from the beach (or anchor off the surf line), swim to the masts and follow them to the hull lying on its port side, exploring the exposed structure. Keep away from the break and exit on the beach or return to the boat.

Protected historic shipwreck under the NSW Heritage Act.

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.