Navy diving records linked to waters off Newport span more than six decades, connecting a 1961 Australian depth milestone with a 2025 ultra-deep dive to a long-lost shipwreck off the New South Wales coast.
A Record Set Off Newport in 1961
In March 1961, former Navy clearance diver Wally Reynolds completed a 327-foot aqualung descent about 12 miles off Newport, setting an Australian record at the time. The dive exceeded the previous national mark by 87 feet. Although the world record then stood at 396 feet, Reynolds did not attempt it, citing safety concerns.
Photo Credit: Trove/National Library Australia
A Modern Descent to a Historic Wreck
In June 2025, Navy clearance diver Lieutenant Ruslan Pnevski descended 160 metres to the wreck of the SS Nemesis, a coal hauler that sank during a severe storm in 1904. The wreck lies off the NSW coast and had previously been viewed only through remote imaging.
The Dive and Its Challenges
The dive formed part of the Sydney Project and began with an early morning departure from Wollongong. Difficult sea conditions caused delays in positioning the shot line used to guide the divers. Once underway, the descent took about nine minutes, leaving limited time on the seabed before the ascent began.
Confirming the Nemesis
At depth, the team documented and positively identified the wreck. The bow and stern were found to have collapsed, while elements of the superstructure remained intact. After around nine minutes on the wreck, the divers began a decompression process lasting about six hours.
Records Separated by Decades
The Nemesis dive broke Lieutenant Pnevski’s personal depth record and confirmed the wreck as the third-deepest shipwreck in Australia visited by divers. When viewed alongside the 1961 Newport dive, the two milestones highlight the progression of Navy diving capability over more than 60 years.
What Comes Next
Further dives are planned to expand visual documentation of the wreck, including detailed mapping. Together, the historic Newport dive and the modern Nemesis descent remain linked by their place in Australia’s Navy diving history.
Published 5-Jan-2026
