Meet the site
The Valiant is the northernmost wreck of the Sydney region and the best small intact wreck within reach of Pittwater boats. She was a 22.5 m, 72-ton steel tug built in 1945 for the Ministry of Munitions and worked for the Melbourne Harbour Trust before a Sydney company bought her in 1978 to convert for fishing charters. She failed survey, and the end was untidy: one account says she was being towed out in 1981 to be scuttled in deep water when the tow parted and she sank where she lies; another has her going down in 1982 on the way to a burial at sea. An explosive charge used to remove the propeller may have opened the hull. Either way she settled 1.4 km east of Barrenjoey, pointing west toward the safety of Broken Bay. The tug sits upright on clean sand at 27 m with a list to port that has slowly increased since divers first documented her in 1989. She is essentially whole: hull, bulwarks, wheelhouse, funnel base and deck fittings remain, and there is room to look into the bridge, cabins and crew quarters. The engine room has filled with sand. The whole wreck covers only about 150 square metres, so it is a compact dive with everything within a few fin-kicks of the shot line, and the modest depth gives 25 minutes of no-decompression time for an Advanced diver. Marine growth is rich for a small wreck, with sponges, sea tulips and anemones colouring the plating, and it attracts a lot of fish: yellowtail, bream, mado, stripey, white-ear, black-tipped and common bullseyes, sergeant baker and passing kingfish. Visibility is the wild card, ranging from 20 m to almost nothing depending on tide and the Hawkesbury. The Valiant suits Advanced divers wanting a first intact wreck, Pittwater boat owners, and photographers who like fish-covered steel on white sand. It also serves as a shallow alternative when the deep Broken Bay wrecks are out of reach.
What you might see
Yellowtail, bream, mado, stripey, white-ear, black-tipped and common bullseyes, sergeant baker, kingfish, wobbegongs, sponges, sea tulips, anemones
Location
22.5 m diesel tug lost in 1981–82 while under tow for scuttling, 1.4 km east of the northern tip of Barrenjoey Headland; sits upright with a port list on sand in 27 m.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
michaelmcfadyenscuba.infomichaelmcfadyenscuba.infodiveplanit.comRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.