Henry Bolte wreck (Eden) – broken-up tug
The Henry Bolte is a 383-ton, 40.7 m firefighting tug built in 1966 at Newcastle for the Victorian Ports and Harbours department and scuttled by Eden operator Gary Becus in 1988 as an artificial reef just south of Red Point, about a 10-minute run south across Twofold Bay. Age and large seas broke her up (reportedly by 1997); she now lies in four major pieces plus smaller bits, with the bow listing heavily to port. The bridge top was about 20 m and the sand and reef about 25 m. It lies only a few hundred metres from the Tasman Hauler, with typically 10–15 m visibility.
Facts
- Region: New South Wales – Byron Bay to Eden (Australia)
- Area: Eden & Far South Coast
- Depth: 18–26 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: -37.11149, 149.96316
- Highlights: broken wreck pieces, bow section, bream, morwong
- Tips: Position is the published GPS (WGS84); dating of the sinking differs between sources (1 Aug and 1 Oct 1988 on the same site). Advanced / deep-diver level (Dive Eden lists 23–29 m for the two wrecks); visibility usually poorer than at the Tasman Hauler; dive computer advised.